


Golden AU! Tron: Uprising

by bluerosekatie



Category: Tron - All Media Types, Tron: Uprising
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Dragons, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Medieval, Canon Dialogue, Canon-Typical Violence, Complete, Dragons, Gen, I'm Bad At Tagging, Inspired by voxeljello's art and tasseomancer's fic, Minor Violence, Plot, Post-Tron: Betrayal, Some Humor, Swordfighting, Swords, Swords & Sorcery, Tron Uprising Era
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-25
Updated: 2021-03-03
Packaged: 2021-03-07 18:21:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 19
Words: 68,141
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26642119
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bluerosekatie/pseuds/bluerosekatie
Summary: The knight Tron takes on an apprentice in order to combat the forces of the warlock Clu in the outer city of Argon.Medieval Fantasy AU of Tron Uprising!
Relationships: Able & Beck (Tron), Beck & Mara & Zed (Tron), Beck & Paige (Tron), Beck & Tron (Tron)
Kudos: 7





	1. Beck's Beginning

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Get Up Soldier](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/690373) by tasseomancer on tumblr.com. 



#  Chapter 1: Beck’s Beginning

The black-and-orange knight stood over the bound young man, dressed in makeshift black-and-blue armor. “You know, you’re not Tron,” he said.

“Never said I was,” the blue-armored man spat.

“Who are you?”

“Name’s Beck.”

“You really thought you could get away with what you did back there?”

“I did get away with it.”

“Doesn’t look like it to me,” the orange-clad knight rumbled, gesturing to Beck’s bonds. “You’re not afraid?”

“No,” Beck said.

“You should be,” his captor said. “So, Beck, what made you decide to go rogue?”

“If you think I’m the rogue, then there’s no point in talking.”

“Then don’t talk,” his captor said. “I’ll let you show me.” He removed a diary from a pouch on Beck’s belt.

Inside were drawings of a large building and handwritten notes. “You work here?”

“Yeah. But you want to know why I did what I did? It all began there, Able’s stalls.”

Beck’s mind returned to a fresh memory - one he’d also recorded in his diary. He pat down a newly-shod horse with his friends Mara, Zed, and Bodhi looking on.

“Hey Beck, you coming? I want that rematch,” Bodhi said.

“Hang on, Bodhi,” Beck replied.

“Here, try it with this.” Bodhi offered Beck a better towel and his tool pack.

“I didn’t realize you were in such a rush to get beat,” Beck teased.

“ _ It never felt like work. But that’s probably because I was doing it with my friends.” _

“Show-off,” Mara said, tying her hair back with a light-blue ribbon.

“Just using my natural talents,” Beck said.

“Or he’s afraid of the rematch,” Bodhi retorted. He rubbed his hands together, impatient to get started.

“Why would he be? You’ve never won.” Zed crossed his arms.

“Yet, Zed. Yet,” Bodhi said.

Beck finished checking the horse, who nuzzled him gently and trotted off.

“There. Now we can go,” he said.

“ _ Now I may be a young man, but I’ve been around long enough to know I had it good. Able’s stalls aren't just a job, they’re my home. The only thing I enjoyed more than the job was the swordfighting matches we’d get into after.” _

Beck thought of the spar with Bodhi. In his memories, swords clashed and the two stablehands chased each other around the dusty ring. Bodhi would dodge, only for Beck to manage a swing to the other side. Finally, Beck managed to disarm Bodhi.

“Best you can do?” Beck asked Bodhi.

“I’m just warming up,” Bodhi replied.

“That’s what I like about you, Bodhi. You don’t give up.”

But Beck’s words were interrupted by the beating of wings in the distance. Huge dragon beasts, black with red-orange markings, flew steadily in the stablehands’ direction. Before a rider could even be spotted, a voice boomed through the air, “Greetings, citizens. I am General Tesler.”

“That can’t be-” Mara said, hopping off the fence of the sparring ring.

“-good.” Zed finished for her.

Now Beck could see black-armored soldiers passing through the streets in a steady march. Bodhi and Beck stared up at the flying beast as giant hawks took flight off the beast’s back to circle the city.

“In the name of our Emperor Clu, I now claim Argon City as occupied territory,” General Tesler continued.

Four of the hawks carried a large wooden statue, easily ten times taller than Beck. They dropped it within the sparring circle, ignoring that they’d forced Mara and Zed to rush out of the way. The statue was a likeness of the emperor, and its cruel yellow and black paint seemed to mock the blue symbols on the buildings.

“Definitely not good,” Beck agreed.

War elephants accompanied the soldiers and surrounded the sparring circle - which was now a tribute to the emperor.

“If Tron were here-” Beck said, but Zed cut him off. “You mean, if Tron were alive.”

Bodhi stepped boldly up to one of the soldiers. “Hey, that’s our field.”

“This is our field now,” the soldier said. He brandished a quarterstaff.

“Hey you can’t do th-”

The soldier thrust his staff at Bodhi’s torso and knocked him to the ground. “No more games.”

“You don’t scare us,” Bodhi said.

Immediately, the soldier hit Bodhi’s head with the quarterstaff. The stablehand fell to the ground, unmoving. A pool of blood spread from his head.

“Bodhi!!” Beck cried out.

Bodhi’s sword snapped off his belt and landed at Beck’s feet.

As Beck took in what had happened -  _ Bodhi’s dead. They killed him. _ \- he took Bodhi’s sword and brandished it. “You won’t get away with that,” he threatened.

“Then you’ll be next,” Bodhi’s killer said.

Beck stared defiantly, still holding the sword.

“Beck, don’t. There’s nothing we can do,” Zed said.

“For now,” Beck said. He put the sword into his own sheath.

Beck’s captor’s voice snapped Beck back to the present. “You lost a friend. You were angry. But it sounds like it was his own fault.”

“It was Clu’s fault,” Beck snapped. “Before he sent Tesler and you goons here, everything was fine. But as it hit me that I’d never see Bodhi again, it became clear. I had to do something.”

Beck remembered sewing patches of scrap metal from the horseshoes and carriage pieces to his spare tunic, in the iconic circular shape with a bold T in the middle. It wouldn’t provide much protection, but it would be a symbol - the symbol of Tron. He pulled his hood down to hide his face.

_ “You really thought one man could make a difference?” the captor broke in. _

“ _ Why not? One man already did - Tron. I decided to take on his identity. He saved the kingdom before. Maybe he could do it again.” _

Beck had snuck out from the stables under cover of rain and darkness and returned to the field, carrying Bodhi’s tools in his pocket. Guards circled the statue’s base, so he hid behind some catapults sitting unused and pulled a hood over his head.

When the guard on the lowest level turned a corner, Beck ran up and hid beside the statue’s base, then inched past another guard above him. He climbed the statue, despite the pouring rain, and at the top, pulled out Bodhi’s sword.

He used the sword like a saw, cutting through the wood and decapitating the Emperor’s statue. Once that was done, he used a match to light the rest of the statue on fire.

As the flames devoured the emperor’s image, the soldiers guarding it called for reinforcements. Beck whistled for his horse, climbed on, and cantered away while they were distracted.

“Is that Tron?” one guard asked.

“Inform Tesler,” the other said.

Later, as Tesler lounged on a throne within the fortress upon his beast, the guard approached tentatively.

“Destroyed?” Tesler said. “Who did this?”

“We don’t know,” the guard said. “It looked like - Tron.”

A door beside Tesler’s seat opened, and the Emperor himself walked out, his yellow-and-black warlock’s robes swishing.

“Clu!” Tesler said. He stood at attention.

“Tron’s dead, Tesler.” Clu said disdainfully. “I killed him myself.” 

“Lady Paige!” Tesler said.

A woman dressed in a tunic and leggings, marked with the red symbols of the Occupation, saluted.

“See to it personally,” Tesler said. “Find him!”

Beck cantered on his horse through the narrower streets of Argon, pursued by several members of the Occupation’s cavalry.

_ "Clu’s forces didn’t deter you?” _

_ "They tried. But they were amateurs. I’ve been riding the streets of Argon long before they came. They never had a shot.” _

Beck carefully stood up on his horse, then jumped up and grabbed an overhanging pole. The pole couldn’t take his weight, so he swung across to another, sturdier one and watched. His horse continued forward, leading the cavalry member off in a different direction.

The second cavalry member trotted off to follow his companion.

“That was easy,” Beck said, but the pole cracked and he fell back to the ground.

_ "Doesn’t explain how you ended up alone, in the Outlands.” _

Beck turned around. A soldier stood behind him, hooded and cloaked with orange markings. Before Beck could react, he had been kicked into the wall beside him.

_ Yeah.. Turns out, they weren’t all amateurs. _

As the soldier wound up for a punch, Beck kicked in return, knocking the hood off and revealing the face of Lady Paige.

“Now that was a mistake,” she said, throwing off the cloak and pulling out her sword. “So you’re Tron? Huh. Thought you’d be taller.”

Beck leaped, grabbed the remnants of the broken pole, and swung to a safe distance away from Paige. He unsheathed his sword, then ran to face her.

She seemed to be expecting this, as she threw a dagger straight at him instead of using her sword. Beck ducked back, and the dagger’s blade missed his nose by a hair.

When he stood up again, Paige lunged forward and tackled him down. She raised her sword. “What a waste.”

Beck grabbed her hand and pushed, keeping the blade of her sword away from his face.

“Huh. They usually don’t last this long,” Paige said. “Who are you?”

“You said it yourself,” Beck grunted. He pushed Paige back with all his strength, and she hit the wall. “I’m Tron.”

“Agh,” Paige said, shaking her head.

Beck had already started to run. Paige followed and pursued him all the way to the riverbank. Beck turned a corner, only to find he’d been cut off by two eagle-riding Occupation soldiers. With Paige behind, the eagle riders and rocks in front of him, Beck stood still.

“There you are,” Paige said.

“Here I am,” Beck challenged.

The eagle riders dismounted, unsheathed their swords, and flanked Paige.

“Time’s up, rogue,” Paige said.

“Not yet,” Beck replied. He climbed the rock face and ran as far as he could, but reeled back when he realized how far above the river he was.  _ Would it be safe to jump? _

He turned around, only to find Paige had reached the top of the rock face.

“How long are you going to keep running?” she asked.

Beck glanced behind him, where one of the eagle riders and his steed perched. “I’m done,” he said. “My ride’s here.”

He climbed onto the eagle and pushed off the rider. The eagle panicked, screeched, and took off. It tried to knock Beck off, but he patted and soothed it, the same way he would any wary creature brought to the stalls. He pulled out a treat from the toolbelt Bodhi had given him and gave it to the eagle. While he was distracted, Paige leaped on and stood behind him.

“No,” she said, shoving him with her shoulder. “This isn’t yours.” As the eagle flew over Argon, Paige pinned Beck to the eagle’s back. 

She ran her hand along his hood. “I can’t wait to see what you’ve got-”

Beck flipped her over using the momentum from the eagle’s wing. He ended up with her pinned beneath him. “Maybe we should slow things down,” he said. “Get to know each other a little.”

“Impressive.” Paige turned her face up. “Maybe you should work for me. We’d make quite a team.”

Beck leaned forward.. “I don’t like your leader. Maybe you should work for me.”

“Sorry, don’t see a future in that,” Paige said, hazel eyes flashing. She kicked Beck off of her and he landed across the eagle’s back.

Beck pulled out his sword and parried a strike from Paige, but fell off the eagle in the process. He clung unsteadily to its claw and managed to hit a glancing blow to its wing. Once it was distracted, he climbed up on its back again, knocked Paige away from its neck, and stood.

“That was fun. We should do this again.” He jumped off. “Hope you know how to land this bird!”

Paige stared in disbelief as Beck fell, then steered the bird back to the Occupation fortress.

“Paige,” Tesler said. “You’re empty-handed. That’s unexpected.”

She walked past his guards. “He’s good, but he’s no Tron.”

“You seem uncertain.”

“You heard the Emperor. Tron’s dead. And soon, this Rogue will be too.”

Beck fell, desperately searching for something that could slow him down.  _ I’m going too fast - what happens when I hit? _

He twisted in the air.  _ There must be something useful _ . As a final attempt, he spread out his arms and legs.

“That’s what happened.” Beck finished.

His captor paced. “You understand this makes you an enemy of the state?” He threw Beck’s diary onto the pile of Beck’s possessions.

“The state is the enemy.” Beck said. He wriggled his fingers into the knot binding his hands.

“I see what you’re trying to do.”

Beck stopped.

“You can dress up like Tron all you want, but he’s still dead.”

“That’s what they tell us,” Beck said. He loosened a loop within the knot.

The orange-marked knight paced again. “Why do you want people to think he’s alive?”

“Maybe he is. And maybe if others think so too, they’ll be braver. Think for themselves more. Not sit still for Clu’s rule.” Beck picked at the knot and his bonds loosened.

“You really think if they believe Tron’s alive, it will inspire a revolution?” Beck’s captor turned his head.

“I know it will.” Beck pulled off his bonds and lunged for his sword. He swung it at the knight, but he only stepped aside. “We won’t be intimidated!”

He made a few more swings at the knight. “I don’t care how strong or powerful your forces are.”

His captor continued to dodge, then stepped close, put Beck into a headlock, and threw him to the ground. “You should.”

Beck’s sword fell to the ground.

“Your actions have consequences,” the knight said.

“So does inaction.” Beck punched and kicked. “More slavery. More friends of mine, gone!” His opponent dodged and deflected the strikes.

Beck punched again, but the knight grabbed his arm, pulled tight, and held his other arm to Beck’s windpipe. “And nothing I say will stop you?”

“I won’t stop fighting.”

The knight punched Beck across the face and on his chest, then kicked him to the ground. Beck sprawled out, but dragged himself onto hands and knees. He spotted his sword and reached for it, but the knight was already there, holding a sword to Beck’s neck.

“Even if it means you’ll be killed, right now?”

“If it means others will take up my cause,” Beck said, bringing his own sword to his opponent’s neck, “so be it!”

Beck and the knight stood at a deadlock, both easily an inch from slitting the other’s neck.

“Step aside. Let me go,” Beck said.

“No.”

“Then this is the end of both of us.” Beck narrowed his eyes and held the blade steady.

“You won’t hurt me.”

“What makes you so sure?”

The knight lowered his sword and opened his helmet. As he did so, the orange and black of his armor brightened into silver and white, and a white circle with a T in the center appeared on his chest - identical to the symbol Beck had put on his own.

“Because I’m not dead,” he said. The face before Beck was strong and defiant, despite the ugly scar curling under Tron’s left ear.

Beck lowered his sword immediately. “Tron! I was right. You’re here to help.”

“No. I’m here because - I need help.”

“What?”

“From someone who’s committed.”

“What are you looking for?”

The room brightened, revealing simple birch paneling.

“The next Tron.”

Beck stared. His lips moved, but he didn’t say a word.

“There’s a war raging. Most people don’t even know what’s happening. Clu’s generals have taken over every city in the kingdom.” Tron led Beck over to a window with a view of Argon. War elephants, catapults, eagles, and the fortress of the Occupation formed a red blemish on the city. “Now, thanks to you, we can bring the fight to him.”

“Wait. What do you mean, me? What do I do?”

“You’re special. I saw what you did tonight. You have a gift, Beck.”

“A-a gift. I’m an okay stablehand, that’s my gift. You see, that thing with the statue, it was a one-time deal,” Beck said. But Tron’s earlier words were still ringing in his ears.

_ The next Tron. The next Tron. _

“It’s a revolution, Beck. You must finish what’s begun.”

“Why can’t you finish it? You’re the defender of the kingdom,” Beck couldn’t help but ask.

“Don’t you think I want to?” Tron’s voice trembled. “I can’t.” 

He stepped back onto a symbol on the stone floor. “Clu betrayed me, left me with scars that will never heal.” The symbol glowed and the scar that had seemed to stop behind Tron’s ear seemed to lengthen - it crossed his cheek and forehead, barely missing his eye. More scars lay beneath his armor, visible in the light of the magical symbol. “He took everything from me. Everything but my name. I need you to help me carry on that name. Show everyone that as long as Tron lives, there is still hope.”

“I’m sorry,” Beck said.  _ Those scars - I believe him. They won’t heal. _ “But what I did, I don’t know why I did it. But I’m not special. I’m just like everyone else.”

“Do you truly believe that?” Tron asked.

Beck couldn’t meet his gaze. “Yeah.”

Tron walked away, his scars hidden again. “Then the war is already lost.” Beck was left alone. He saddled up one of the horses in the stalls behind the cave shelter and started to ride back to Argon.

A group of medium-sized dragons, each with several soldiers atop it, scoured the hills. Beck urged the horse on and tried to avoid their view, but the snow-covered plain was flat and had little cover.

“Movement, down below.” Tesler’s unmistakable voice said. He rode atop the dragon with only his cloak and robes to protect him from the wind.

“Good eye, your Excellency,” a lieutenant said. “But whatever it is is gone.”

“Find it,” Tesler hissed.

Beck dismounted, slapped the horse on its flank, and hid. The horse returned to Tron’s lodging, while Beck jumped into a snowdrift near the edge of a plateau. A small avalanche thundered off the edge.

“Weather or nothing,” the lieutenant said. “Nothing here.”

“Continue sweep,” Tesler ordered.

Beck looked off to where the horse had gone, then began to walk back to Argon. He picked the bits of metal off his tunic and stored them in a pouch.  _ If I’m seen like this, they’ll figure it out. _

When he returned to the stablehands’ quarters, he was confronted.

“Where have you been?” asked Able. His white hair and cool-toned brown skin gave him a fatherly appearance. “Get to the stables. Something’s happening.”

Beck walked through the short hallway to the stables. When he opened the door, two Occupation soldiers led him out into the open area beside the stalls. “This way, stablehand.”

“Finally,” Lady Paige said. She turned to look at Beck. “We’ve been waiting for you.”

“Now I really feel special,” Beck said, as the soldiers pushed him to the ground.

“Don’t flatter yourself, stablehand. This isn’t just for you, it’s for everyone,” Paige said. She strode through the two lines of Occupation soldiers. “What happened last night was nothing short of sedition. If you know this person,” she gestured to a soldier holding up a rough image of Beck’s rogue disguise, “turn him in. As long as he’s free - you won’t be. I’m here to announce that Tesler’s bringing the Games to Argon.”

All of the stable workers gasped.

“In a few days, we will be rounding up  _ volunteers _ until this imposter is apprehended.” She walked back to the dragon perched outside of the stable. “Now, back to work.”

The stable workers dispersed. Beck turned to a horse that needed shoeing and rummaged through the toolbelt he held to find a few screws.

Paige heard the noise and turned around. “Where’d you get that?”

“Uh - I found it?” Beck said.

“He got it from the shelves where we keep all the tools,” Able replied, gesturing to the shelves.

“Back to it, stablehand,” Paige said.

“Nice to meet you,” Beck said, but she had already turned to leave.

Zed watched the exchange. “I see the feeling’s mutual.”

“Everyone, the soldiers are gone, let’s get back to work,” Able said.

After the day’s work was finished, Beck, Mara, and Zed stood by the tool shelves and talked.

“Last night of freedom,” Beck murmured.

“This rogue, Tron, whoever he is, he’s causing a lot of problems,” Zed said.

“Maybe he’s just trying to help. Look what they did to Bodhi.” Beck said, defending himself.

“And now they’re going to do it to all of us, because of him!” Zed said.

Mara patted the horse in the stall she was leaning against. “I think he’s brave.”

“Really?” Zed turned to leave. “Seems pretty cowardly, hiding out, covering his face, letting us suffer.”

“He’s fighting  _ for _ us,” Mara insisted. She gestured to a parchment tacked to the wall with the picture of the Rogue. “And he’s pretty handsome.”

“Handsome! How do you know?” Zed pointed out the hood. “He’s wearing a hood.”

“I have a feeling.” Mara smiled at Zed.

“Beck, what do you think?” Zed asked, exasperated.

“Is he handsome?” Beck smirked.

“Is he on our side?” Zed asked.

“Please,” Mara said, pulling Beck along after Zed.

“Zed, come on,” Beck said, as they passed Able’s office.

“Beck,” Able said. “May I speak with you?”

“Go on without me,” Beck said. “I’ll catch up with you later.”

He walked into Able’s office and sat down in a chair. 

“Did you have anything to do with that statue being destroyed?” Able asked.

“No,” Beck said. His thumbs lifted and fell. “I was just out taking a walk. I needed some time alone.” He fidgeted. “I was - I’m sad - about Bodhi.”

Able leaned forward. “I know. We’re all upset about that. But we can’t dwell on what happened, and  _ you _ definitely can’t act on those feelings. With Tesler’s soldiers here, we all need to be more careful now. Things have changed.”

“Don’t worry,” Beck said. “It won’t happen aga-”

Military drums sounded and interrupted him. A dragon landed outside in the square with General Tesler and his lieutenant, Pavel beside him. “Attention. I am General Tesler. I’m here to tell you that you are now volunteering for the Games.”

Soldiers surrounded a group of people standing outside and filed them onto the dragon.

“Thank you for your cooperation.”

Beck tried to move and face the soldiers, but Able put his hand on Beck’s shoulder.

“I thought they had more time,” Lady Paige interrupted.

“I decided to move up the schedule,” General Tesler said. “If you had done your _ job _ , none of this would have been necessary.”

Paige huffed and walked back to her place beside the group of soldiers.

The soldiers continued to shove people around, making a rough loop around a few dozen of the stable workers. Within that circle were Mara and Zed, who pushed back, only to be thrown back into the ring.

“Beck! Beck!” Zed called out.

Soldiers moved in and herded the stable workers into a large wagon with a canvas top to protect from bad weather, part of a small caravan that would take them to the Games. 

“Help, please, somebody help us,” Zed continued to say, but a soldier shoved him into the wagon.

“Be quiet,” the soldier said gruffly.

At this, Beck took a few steps forward, but Able grabbed his shoulder. “Come back inside. There’s nothing we can do.”

He watched silently as the wagons rumbled away toward the Coliseum.

Minutes later, after Able had left for his office, Beck ran up to the workers’ room. He gathered his sword and strapped on the toolbelt, then spent a few minutes re-attaching the T and circle to his tunic. Once that was done, he headed outside and whistled for his horse.

Most of the horses in the stables knew his call, but the white-and-black Clydesdale he had used earlier was the one who answered. He mounted the horse, then raced on in the direction the wagons had gone. The wagon train had a good head start, but Beck could still hear the trotting and creaking.

He followed as close as he dared, using side streets and keeping slightly behind.

_ Can’t let the drivers know I’m here. _

Once he’d figured out the route the wagon train was taking, he rode up to it from one side, stood up on his horse, and leaped onto the canvas-covered top. He hit the edge of the top and struggled to get a grip on the fabric. His side and chest ached from the impact -  _ taut canvas is almost as hard as wood, and I’m already bruised. _

“What was that?” a gruff voice asked from below.

Beck ignored it and hoisted himself up onto the canvas.

As he stood up, a red-and-black armored guard punched him in the face. Beck recoiled, and the soldier pulled out his sword. Beck pulled out his own sword, and raced forward to face the guard. He swung a few wide strikes, none of which hit, but managed to keep the soldier from immediately hitting him. The guard stepped back onto the wagon in front of them and threw a few more punches.

Beck narrowly avoided being hit by a lunging thrust from the guard, then managed to kick the guard’s back and knock him down. The soldier retreated to the previous wagon, then pulled back his hood, revealing his shoulder-length black hair, small moustache, and angular eyes.

Then raced forward, swinging at Beck, who ducked and dodged and avoided ramming into the buildings the wagons were passing. Beck put up his sword, but couldn’t get a hit on the soldier. The soldier kicked and advanced toward Beck, who traded places with him and backflipped away from another swing of the soldier’s sword.

Beck backbent as the wagons passed under another overhang. The soldier stepped back. Beck pressed his advantage and swung at the soldier again, this time nearly hitting, but the soldier returned the swing with one of his own, then jump-kicked at Beck.

Beck couldn’t dodge - he flew back onto the canopy of the wagon behind the soldier. The soldier stepped forward as Beck started to stand up, but was surprised when Beck ran away.

_ We’re crossing the river now - and there’s houses right above it. I have to move - or get crushed. _ The soldier realized the same thing and followed Beck. Beck slid off the edge of the canopy, barely hanging on by his fingertips. So did the soldier.

Beck watched as the soldier pulled out a small black explosive, hooked it to the wagon canopy Beck clung to, and lit it.

“Uhh…” Beck said, at a loss for words.

The wagons had crossed the bridge, so both Beck and the soldier climbed back to the top of the canopies. The soldier crossed to the next canopy, but Beck wasn’t fast enough - the bomb exploded and flung him over to the next canopy. Beck and the soldier fell into the front seats of the wagon.

Beck held his sword out at the soldier’s face, who had his own sword ready.  _ He would kill me. Am I the same way? _

He brought his sword down, and as the soldier brought up his arms to protect himself from the blow, Beck severed the rope connecting the two wagons. Beck’s wagon slowed to a stop, while the soldier’s continued, creating a long gap in the road.

“Wait,” the soldier said. “Why would you spare me? Why?”

Beck didn’t answer. He turned to the wagon and threw open the fabric doors only to find…

“Wrong wagon.” It was empty.

He turned to look at the receding wagon train.  _ No time to lose now. _

Beck whistled for his horse, mounted it, and rode toward the train.  _ We’ve crossed the river - it’s way too close to the Coliseum now. _

As the gap slowly closed between Beck’s horse and the wagons, they entered a small stretch of forest that separated the Coliseum from the rest of Argon. Beck urged his horse forward, ahead of the wagon train, then dismounted to one side in the forest.

_ My only hope is to cut them off here. _

He looked around for a solution.  _ What can I use? _ His eyes lit upon a thin but tall aspen on the side of the road.

Beck pulled out his sword and swung, felling the tree and knocking it into the road.  _ That’s not enough. It’s barely taller than my foot - the wagons won’t stop for that. _

He turned to another tree. Swinging and hacking at the thick trunk with the sword was hard work, and the wagons were getting closer. Beck sawed at the tree trunk with the sword.

Closer. The wagons were only a few feet away.

Closer.  _ They’ll see me. _

Closer. He leaned in, using his weight to force the sword into the tree.

Closer. Finally, the tree broke, with a splintering, cracking roar as it fell across the road.

Beck crossed his arms in front of his face as the wagons approached, then stopped abruptly at his barrier. The wagons were stopped, and the guards climbed out to see what had happened. Luckily, there were only a few guards, about two per wagon -  _ but that’s still WAY more than enough to kill me _ .

He stepped carefully into the shadow of the last wagon and crept to the back of it.

_ Empty. _

The guards clustered in a few places, including by the tree trunks. Beck continued to the next wagon.

_ Empty. _

Before he could move away, he heard the metallic scrape of a sword being pulled from its sheath.

He slowly raised his hands.

“I know where they are.”

“What?” Beck said. He turned around.

“Your friends. I know where they are.” The soldier pulled his hood back to reveal the same thin, black-mustached face as his opponent on the train. “Front wagon. Hurry. The others will be back soon.”

The soldier hurried Beck to the front wagon. He threw open the canvas. “Come on! Leave, now!”

All the workers, including Zed and Mara, rushed out, pushing past Beck and the soldier.

“It’s him,” Mara sighed.

“Come on!” Zed said.

Beck and the soldier escorted the workers through a safe path in the forest. “Move. Move. Move! Come on, keep it moving,” Beck urged.

“Maybe we should go say hi,” Mara said, looking back. “You know, thank him.”

“Or maybe we should live. Go!” Zed replied.

As the people filed through the woods, Beck turned to the soldier. “Thank you for that.”

“It was the least I could do. Thank you f-” The soldier’s reply was cut off by the dagger thrown into his midsection. Grunting in pain, he looked in disbelief at the embedded dagger. His eyes grew glassy, and he fell to the ground.

Beck turned around to see who had thrown the dagger.

General Tesler stood on the top of a wagon, empty-handed. He leaped down, and raised his arms. White-hot energy flared from his palms as he opened his fists.

Beck jumped.

“I don’t like the  _ effect _ you’re having on my people,” Tesler said.

Beck pulled out his sword with a scritch of metal.

Tesler walked forward, slowly, menacingly. His glowing hands burned brighter. He threw a quick double punch, but Beck vaulted over him. Tesler grabbed Beck with one hand and punched him with the other.

Beck hit the side of the wagon with enough force to splinter the hard wood and fell to the ground.

“Who do you think you are, Tron?” Tesler jeered.

“Forgive me if I don’t shake your hand,” Beck said. He dodged another punch from Tesler, kicked out and jumped away, then raised his sword.

“You’re not Tron. You’re nothing,” Tesler said. His white-hot hands grew even brighter, the energy spreading down to his elbows, then stretching out in a hand-like shape at Beck. He barely reflected the lightning-quick blow with his sword before Tesler sent another blast from the other hand that knocked him through the wagon and deep into the forest.

The magical hand released Beck, and he fell, bark scraping across his back. He stood up and rubbed his neck. Tesler launched the other spell and that hand gripped the tree right above Beck’s head. This time Tesler didn’t let go. Beck scrambled a few feet forward and climbed up into the branches of a tree.

Tesler followed him, grappling up the trees with the magical hand extensions. Beck climbed and swung away. His hands were covered in scratches from the rugged bark. He broke through the leaf cover and walked unsteadily across the thickest branches of the treetops.

Right behind Beck, Tesler jumped onto the branches as well. “You think you’re helping them, but trust me, you’re just making things more painful.”

Beck reached the edge of the trees and turned around. “Those people I just rescued might disagree.”

“Look out there,” Tesler said, referring to the city of Argon on the horizon. “I’ve got dozens of wagons, headed to round up more people. You can’t save them all!”

“Watch me.” Beck slammed his sword into the branches between them, knocking both Tesler and himself through the treetops. They fell for a long moment before Beck grabbed a branch with both hands. Tesler continued to fall, but launched his hand extensions at Beck, gripping his head.

Ozone crackled and the heat from the spell seemed to melt Beck’s hood and head. He grunted and tried to break free, still holding tight to the branch.

“This isn’t over,” Tesler said.

Beck swung his sword and cut the extensions, releasing Tesler’s grip on his head. Tesler fell again and landed on the road, but a nearby eagle, carrying Lady Paige, briefly landed to pick him up.

“Told you he wasn’t that easy to catch,” she said.

“Wipe that smirk off your face and find him,” Tesler ordered.

The eagle curved away, back to Argon.

Beck climbed out of the trees, mounted his horse, and rode - not to Argon, but beyond, into the hills and further up the mountain. Soon he found Tron’s mountain shelter. He left the horse safe in Tron’s stalls and entered the building, which was warm - a welcome difference from the outer cold.

He stared out the window at the view of Argon.

“I want to do this. I have to do this,” he said to Tron, who had silently come to stand beside him. “I’m ready.”

“No,” the white knight said. “You’re not.” He carefully removed his own armor, revealing a black, long-sleeved tunic and pants beneath. “But you will be.” He offered the chestplate to Beck.

_ For real? How.. this… _ Hesitantly, Beck put on the chestplate, and the rest of the armor, with Tron’s help.

“Come,” Tron said, once Beck was fully armored. “We have a lot of work to do,” He led Beck across the room and deeper into the mountain shelter. “Tron.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm trying to do my best not to be offensive. I originally had an offensive term in my description, so I edited it out in this recent update. Please, please tell me if something I write makes you feel discriminated against.


	2. Rogue, Part 1

Tron’s steed galloped through the thick snow of the Outlands. Beck rode close behind on another horse.

“Expect your training to be a long, difficult road, Beck. Before victory, there will be setbacks.” Tron turned to avoid a boulder sticking up in the snowy terrain. “Many of them.”

Behind him, Beck wove through the boulders and followed a similar path. As he and his horse pulled forward and caught up beside Tron, he called over to him. “Tron, when does the training start?”

Tron jumped over Beck with his horse, an amazing feat. “Now. So try and keep up.”

Beck galloped forward, but Tron’s speed kept him pinned beside another boulder.

“Don’t rely on your horse’s hooves. Learn to control me without attacking,” Tron instructed. As they entered another open area, he pulled ahead.

Beck zigzagged and tried to gain an advantage.

“Dominate with momentum. Anticipate.”

Beck sped up and got in front of Tron. “You mean like that?” He looked over at Tron.

Tron seemed to disappear behind a large stone outcropping. “Eyes forward.”

Beck looked ahead just in time to avoid the rocky hill.

“This isn’t a game, Beck.”

The rocks opened up into a long stretch of snowy ground, with a few curved and wind blasted rocks off to one side.

“Jump.” Tron’s horse galloped forward.

“Jump?” Beck followed, looking ahead. He spotted a chasm fast approaching, the same chasm he’d barely survived when Tron had caught him in the Outlands. His eyes widened, and he reined his horse in. “We can’t make that!”

But Tron continued on. Beck watched a short distance behind as Tron pushed his horse forward, used a curved rock as a ramp, and jumped.

He landed on the other side and paused to watch Beck.

_ If he can make it, I can, _ Beck thought. He urged his horse onward and they jumped, flat out over the chasm.

_ Not far enough! _ Beck climbed and jumped off his horse, who landed on a ledge on the chasm’s side -  _ better jumper than I am _ . He managed to reach the other side, but only clung to it by one hand. He looked down.  _ The horse landed safely, but can I? _

He calmed down, then swung his hand up and tried to heave himself onto the ground. The rock splintered beneath him, and he began to fall.

Tron grabbed hold of his hand before Beck could fall. “You know what you did wrong, Beck?”

Beck looked up. “Yeah. I followed you.” He grabbed on to the edge again.

“You hesitated. I didn’t.”

Once Beck had climbed safely to the surface, he sat down beside Tron’s horse. Tron leaned against it.

“How can I be the next Tron if I can’t even keep up with the real one? No one’s going to believe I’m you. To them, I’m just a rogue.” He stood up and looked away.

“You need to have faith in yourself.” Tron said, watching him.

“Easy for you to say. You’ve always been protecting the kingdom. I’ve always been taking care of horses.”

“You’re more than just a stablehand, Beck.”

Beck listened, but didn’t turn around. 

“You did something you weren’t used to. You stood up for what you believed in, all on your own. The uprising needs a hero like you.”

“What uprising?” Beck asked, finally turning. “It’s just you and me out here.”

“Aren’t you the one who said others will follow, that the revolution will spread if we ignite the spark?” Tron asked, gesturing to Beck.

“What, you’re listening to me now? I almost plunged into the bottom of a canyon.” He cleared his throat. “I don’t think I’m cut out to inspire anyone. Sorry.” He started to walk away.

“Beck.”  
“What?” Beck answered, annoyed.

“Your horse. You should probably find it.”

Beck sighed. “Right.”

After several hours of coaxing and climbing with his horse, Beck managed to start on his way back to Argon. He galloped, enjoying the relative calm, until a red and black marked dragon flew above him and a soldier held out a lamp to see him.

“Halt, citizen. You are in violation of curfew.”

Beck sped up. “This just gets better and better.”

Two soldiers at the gate of Argon pointed their staffs at him. “Identify yourself.”

Beck jumped off his horse and ran for the gate.

“Hostile citizen detected,” the dragon rider said.

The two soldiers followed him into the red and black barracks structure. Beck leaned against one wall and looked around the corner, then hurried away again.

“Secure sector 12,” the soldier said.

Beck continued to move through the building, but it was like a maze. Finally, he lost the soldiers and entered a small wooden room.

He turned around to see five or six others in the room with him. “Please tell me you’re hiding too,” he said, hands up.

A rough movement made him stumble.

“Proceed with transport,” a soldier’s voice said from above him. A dragon picked the wooden crate up in its claws, and flew across Argon.

As Beck looked around in disbelief, a man with warm-toned dark skin stood up. “Congratulations, man. You just made yourself a prisoner.”

“This is wrong. I shouldn’t be here. This is all because of that rogue,” another prisoner said.

“The rogue?” Beck said.

“Cool it, Rilo,” the man who’d greeted Beck said.

“Have you forgotten where they’re taking us?” Rilo said. “Each one of us is going to end up killed. Have you ever seen anyone get stabbed? It’s disgusting.”

“What’s he talking about? Where are we going?” Beck asked the friendlier prisoner.

The man walked to a slit in the cage. “There.”

“The Games,” Beck said. Their cage was headed straight for the arena on the far side of Argon.

As the dragon carried it through the sky opening and toward the arena, the crowd cheered.

Back at the stables, Able was speaking to one of the other stablehands.

“Sorry boss, no one knows where he is.”

“Well, let me know if you see him.”

Zed looked over from the horse he was grooming as Able walked away. Then he turned back to his work. With a few brush strokes, he flattened a patch of fur in the shape of a heart, and sighed.

“Zed, Mara!” Able said.

Zed coughed and jumped up.

“Did Beck even bother to come in today?” Able asked.

“Ah, I’m sure he’s just taking a break,” Zed said.

Mara dismounted a different horse. “Actually, it’s just been me and Zed all shift. We’re supposed to meet him at the tavern later.” She paused. “Should we be worried?”

“Nah,” Able said. “I was just going to have him shoe my horse. My favorite, actually.”

He led the beautiful creature into the stable.

“Whoa,” Mara said.

“What’s so special about this old thing?” Zed asked.

“Old thing? Zed, this is an Enkomian warhorse from their prized breeding stock. It’s one of a kind!” She examined the horse’s powerful legs and long neck. “Enkomians are the fastest horses in the world!”

“Yeah, but, looks pretty moody. Give me an Argonian horse anytime.” He patted the horse he’d been grooming. “Can’t beat reliable.”

Mara sauntered over to him and put her hand on his shoulder. “I don’t want reliable.” She gently shoved it and let go. “I want dangerous.”

Zed stared, then frowned. “Huh.”

“Well, it’s nice to see someone’s got an appreciation for fine horseflesh,” Able said. “Can you let Beck know it’s in my stall?” He started to walk off. “I hope he’s not getting himself in any trouble.”

In the cage by the arena, Beck and the other prisoners stood in a row as a guard explained their duty. “Congratulations, citizens. You have been selected for the Games.”

“If I don’t survive, that rogue is to blame.”

“Rilo, I told you,” the man with dark skin began.

“It’s not his fault, Cutler? The only reason we’re here is because the rogue remodeled Clu’s statue. The next thing I know, they picked me up for breaking curfew. I lost track of time, I shouldn’t have to die for it!”

“We’ll survive this,” Beck said, more cool than he felt. “We’re not going to die.”

Four ladies walked up to the prisoners and gently placed pads of leather armor on their shoulders and chests. “For your safety, you are being equipped with battle armor. Do not attempt to remove your armor.”

Their task done, the ladies left the same way they’d come. “Enjoy the games.”

All the prisoners were brought into the large, open-air arena. Around them, the crowd roared. Across the arena floor, stood a team of soldiers.

“Prepare for team battle,” the announcer said. “Difficulty, extreme.”

A pair of the soldiers performed a few tight martial arts moves. Then a second and a third did the same. Finally, in the center, the leader whirled and struck impressively.

“So, you still think we’re going to survive?” Rilo asked.

Atop the arena, in the royal box with his lieutenants, General Tesler stood up. “In the name of our Emperor, Clu - let the Games begin!”

The crowd cheered.

“Here they come,” Beck said, as the soldiers started across the arena.

“Positions,” the lead soldier said. He and his soldiers pulled out their weapons.

Beck reached back for his sword.

“We’re not going to survive two rounds against them!”

“Stick close to me, Rilo,” Beck said.

“Attack!” the lead soldier said.

Meanwhile, in the tavern, a small crowd of citizens danced and sat around tables with drinks. Mara stood in the thick of it, watching the live performers, while Zed sulked near the bar.

“Ah, great. Just great,” he said, as a few young men walked up to Mara to strike up a conversation.

A full-lipped woman with short black hair and olive skin lounged at one table. She looked over at a man in the corner.

He nodded.

She approached Zed. “Is that for me?” she asked, looking at the drink he’d bought.

“Sure, why not,” Zed said, not even looking over.

“Are you here alone too?” she asked.

He turned around. “Actually, I’m here with my friend, but I’m…” He trailed off as he spotted her. “I’m…”

The bartender snorted. “Zed.”

“I’m Zed. Zed.. I’m Zed.” He chuckled.

“Perl,” the woman said. She held out her hand.

Zed took it.

Mara glanced over and spotted Perl talking with Zed. She stopped dancing.

Back in the arena, the battle had begun. The soldiers swung their weapons with deadly accuracy.

“Resist!” shouted Beck, but it was too late.

One of the prisoners took a mortal wound from the soldier’s sword. Beck countered the soldier’s next strike with his own sword, then lunged at another soldier. Their blades clashed. Beck dodged another blow from the soldier, then jumped over him and kicked him to the ground. Rilo looked at his sword, as if wondering how he could do the same.

“Hey, that was good,” Rilo said, impressed.

“We’re gonna make it,” Beck said.

Just then, two more soldiers approached them. Beck engaged one, and Rilo attempted to fend off the other. Rilo managed to dodge the swings, while Beck crossed blades with the other soldier and attacked. Then, Rilo dodged a swing that would have decapitated him, and returned with a similar blow to his attacker.

It hit - the soldier was dead.

Beck still clashed with the second soldier. He managed to elbow the soldier aside, but he wouldn’t retreat. Rilo walked over, hesitantly, to help him. But a third soldier approached and lunged to attack.

“Rilo!” Beck yelled.

The soldier struck. Rilo screamed as the blade went through his heart.

“NOOO!!!” Beck cried.

Rilo’s killer pulled out a dagger and threw it at Beck. Before Beck could react, the other prisoner pushed him to the ground. “Get down!”

“I couldn’t save Rilo. He’s gone,” Beck panted.  _ Gone. I promised him - just like Bodhi. _

“But we’re not,” Cutler said, and stood up. “Neither are they.” He helped Beck up, aware of the other three soldiers.

“Then let’s level the playing field,” Beck said.

“So the third lady says, ‘I thought that sword looked familiar!’,” Zed finished.

Perl giggled and put her hand on top of his. “I love a fellow with a sense of humor.”

Mara walked over and stood by their table. “Mind if I borrow him?” she asked.

“Just bring him back in one piece,” Perl replied.

As they walked away, Mara laughed. “Whoa, Zed. What’s your secret?”

Zed scratched his head. “You know what they say, Mara, it’s all in the charm.”

“Well, can you spare some of that charm for one little dance?”

“Dance? You and me?” Zed asked.

“Come on,” Mara said. “You owe me. I’m your best friend, Zed!” She led him to the dance floor, but his hand slipped from in hers.

She danced a few steps, waiting, but Zed didn’t follow.

“Right,” he said disdainfully. “Friends.”

He walked over to continue his conversation with Perl and attempted to put his arm on the table. Off-balance, he stumbled. “You - wanna get out of here?” he asked.

“Absolutely,” Perl replied.

They walked across the room.

“Who was that girl?” Perl asked.

“Ah, just a  _ friend. _ ” Zed said.

Beck and Cutler rushed at the next soldier and swung their swords in sync. Cutler continued to fight, while Beck made his way over to another guard. The guard leaped at him, and their blades clashed.

Cutler swung at the other guard while dodging. Beck turned to help him. “Cutler!” he said. The soldier paused for a second. Cutler dealt a mortal blow and the guard was defeated.

In the arena booth, General Tesler, Paige, and Pavel were watching.

“Hmm. They’re good.” Paige said.

“Too good. Sound the bell,” General Tesler said.

“But the round-” Pavel objected.

“Is over. Do it,” Tesler said.

Two guards rang a giant gong. The lieutenant announced, “This round will be concluding early.”

Zed and Perl stood on the roof of a building in town.

“Wow. Argon’s beautiful from up here,” Perl said.

“It’s all right. Guess I’m just used to it,” Zed said.

“Well, it’s a lot better than where I’m from.”

“Where’s that?”

“Doesn’t matter. I’m here now. With you,” Perl said. “So, what’s there to do for fun around here?”

“Well, there’s the sparring circle. But it’s closed for curfew,” Zed said. “There’s the arena.”

Perl showed no interest.

“Yeah, not my idea of fun either.”

“Is there any place in the city that’s not shut down by the occupation?” Perl asked.

“These are your accommodations,” a soldier said, as he pushed more people into the cells beneath the arena.

“”We have new teammates to break in,” Cutler said.

“You mean more people to be killed,” Beck said.

“Don’t tell me you’ve given up. We could use you out there. You’re not a bad fighter,” Cutler said.

“Yeah,” Beck said. “Tell that to Rilo. I wasn’t made for this. I’m just a stablehand.”

“So it’s like that, huh? No hope. I felt that way once. After we lost the Sidhe War.”

“You fought in the Sidhe War?” Beck asked, surprised.

“That’s right,” Cutler said, patting an armband with a blue flower symbol on it. “Most of my friends fell fighting Clu and his forces. Started to despair. Until the rogue showed up.”

“The rogue? Isn’t this all his fault?” Beck asked.  _ Did I actually… start something? _

“Oh, I don’t think so,” Cutler said. He turned to face Beck. “If he’s willing to risk his life to fight back, then I want to be right there fighting beside him. That’s why I came to Argon. But there’s more.” He paused. “I know who the rogue really is.”

“Who?”  _ Was I that obvious? _

“We both know. He’s the one person who can save us all, whose name alone inspires hope.” Cutler held his fingers out in the ‘T’ design. “He’s Tron.”

Beck sat up straighter. “Tron.”  _ He was right. _

Zed looked around as he led Perl through the stables.

“I have to say, this is pretty cool,” Perl said. Hearing her, a horse whinnied.

“Shh,” Zed said. The horse quieted. “There are people in the barracks.”

“You work here, right? So it’s okay to go in,” Perl challenged. 

“Uh, I don’t think that’s such a great idea…” Zed hesitated.

Perl took his hand and placed it on the door. “Then it’ll be our secret,” she said.

A soldier stood behind a line of prisoners containing Beck and Cutler. They walked along past boats being loaded at the river.

“Tell the person in front of you, ‘Tron lives,’” Beck said.

“What?”

“Just do it.”

The line continued forward, and the prisoner in the front said, “Tron lives? Who told you that?”

The soldier turned and raised his staff. “What was that? Did you say Tron lives? Talk like that is sedition. Who said it?”

While the guards were distracted, questioning the other prisoners, Beck and Cutler ran from the end of the line and hid behind a container. Beck threw a nearby switch to lift some crates onto a boat.

“Let’s go.”

Before the crates completely left the ground, Beck and Cutler climbed aboard.

“Well, this is it. Able’s office…” Zed said. “Center of the stable and oddity collection. Actually, a lot of these items are unique.”

A red and yellow parrot squawked “Yes” from its perch in a cage.

“I don’t know. Looks like junk to me,” Perl said.

“Yes,” the parrot squawked again.

Zed chuckled nervously.

“Well, getting kind of late.” Perl sat down in Able’s chair, skirts revealing an ankle.

“Uh, uh… Oh,” Zed gestured to a door in the wall.

Perl followed.

“Guess what this is?” Zed asked.

“A horse?” Perl said.

“Well, not just any horse. This is a Renkonian warhorse,” Zed bragged.

“You mean an Enkomian warhorse,” Perl said.

“Isn’t that what I said? It’s one of a kind.” He untied the horse and led it out into the yard.

Perl walked around it appraisingly. “You know, my horse has been acting up. Think you can take a look?”

Zed scoffed. “I’ll have it fit in no time.”

Beck and Cutler ran through the forest, hoping to lose the guards. Unfortunately, a group of guards descended on them using canvas gliders. Last of all, Lady Paige landed directly in front of them.

“Why am I not surprised?” she asked.

Two of the soldiers put their swords to the necks of Beck and Cutler. Lady Paige walked forward. “So, you two want to be a team?” She tied their wrists together with a length of rope. “Then be a team.”

Back in the arena, Beck and Cutler were knocked to the ground.

“I suppose it could be worse,” Cutler said.

“It’s worse,” Beck said. Three soldiers with horses raced past them. “Three of them, two of us. Those odds aren’t so bad.”

“But they’ve got horses!” Cutler said. He pulled off to one side, but was stopped short by the rope holding their wrists together.

Beck pulled back just in time to keep Cutler from being trampled by one of the horses.

The horsemen turned around. Beck managed to pull out his sword with his free hand, but he couldn’t cut the rope while Cutler pulled him out of the path of the horsemen. Cutler threw a knife at one of the riders, but it missed.

All of the riders galloped forward.

“Do you trust me?” Beck asked.

“Do I have a choice?”

“When I give the word, pull as hard as you can,” Beck said, gripping his end of the rope.

One of the riders rode directly at them.

“Now!” Beck said. He pulled on his side of the rope, and it stretched taut as Cutler did the same. The horse’s legs caught on the rope, but instead of stopping, it continued and dragged the two prisoners forward. Beck fought to stay upright and keep his legs from being trampled. Cutler pulled back and attempted to stand up.

The horse fell and knocked the rider off.

“Come on,” Beck said. He led Cutler forward to face the next rider. Instead of tripping the horse, this time, the rope snapped under its sharp hooves. Beck and Cutler were free, or as free as they could be in an arena fight to the death.

The rider turned. Cutler threw another knife, but it wasn’t hard enough to penetrate. He spun his end of the rope like a whip, tangled it around one of the riders’ handholds, and pulled himself onto the horse.

Beck, watching the struggle, noticed the riderless horse he and Cutler had tripped. He mounted it and galloped forward. “Now, this is more like it.”

Cutler pulled out his sword, still balancing on the horse with the soldier, and wrestled with the soldier. Finally, he managed to cut one of the bridle straps, and jumped off.

Without the bridle, the soldier couldn’t control his horse, and it cantered off, far from the prisoners.

The final rider galloped up to Beck and tried to push him off. Beck pressed back and broke away just before they would have collided. 

“I bet you didn’t know I’m a stablehand,” Beck said. He pulled a sugar cube from his toolbelt and fed it to the soldier’s horse. “A pretty good one, too.”

Distracted, the horse came to a sudden stop and chomped happily on the sugar as the soldier was flung over its head and to the ground. Beck rode his horse in a circle and paused next to Cutler.

“Listen to them, cheering the actions of two conspirators,” General Tesler said. “This insolence will spread like a plague if we don’t end it now. So, end it!”

Pavel spoke up. “In all fairness to Paige, her plan almost worked. May I suggest an alternative, General?”  
Paige frowned.

“You know, your horse’s in decent shape. I actually can’t find anythin-” Zed was cut off by a hard hit to the head from Perl.

“Then keep it. I just got a Enkomian warhorse! See ya!” She mounted the horse and rode off.

“Wait! Don’t - leave,” Zed said. “Ohh, I’m an idiot.” He slapped himself on the forehead.

“Yes,” the parrot squawked, then quickly turned around.

“General Tesler was quite impressed with your performance,” Lieutenant Pavel said as he led some soldiers to Beck and Cutler. “We rarely get to see such delicious competition. To thank you, General Tesler’s arranged a  _ reward. _ ”

He led Beck, Cutler, and the soldiers through a doorway into the arena. “Greetings, people of Argon! Behold this momentous occasion! For not only do you share the privilege of seeing two highly skilled combatants battle for survival, but now you can watch as merciful General Tesler allows them to compete for the greatest prize of all - freedom! The winner of the next round will be released.”

“Who are we fighting?” Beck asked.

“Why, each other, of course,” Pavel said. He stepped back, into the darkness. “And to the death.”


	3. Rogue, Part 2

As the crowd cheered on this new development, Beck and Cutler looked around for a friendly face.

“They expect us to fight each other?” Beck asked.

“Destroy each other,” Cutler corrected. “That crowd won’t be satisfied until one of us is bleeding out.”

“They can’t make us do it,” Beck said. “Not if we stand together.”

Cutler gave him an appraising look, then sheathed his sword. Beck followed.

The crowd booed them. Up in the box, General Tesler gave a hand signal, and Pavel pulled a lever. Metal fences barred all exits and entrances to the arena floor, and slid forward, narrowing the space Beck and Cutler were in.

“When there’s a winner, the walls will stop. If there’s no winner, they won’t stop,” Tesler announced. “Fight, or be crushed.”

“No, it can’t end like this,” Beck murmured, inspecting the walls and futilely pushing against them. “Cutler! You’ve got to fight me.”

“What?” Cutler exclaimed.

“One of us has to survive this, and it has to be you,” Beck continued.

“What are you talking about?”

“Don’t you see? If we both get killed, there’ll be no one left to continue the fight. They’ll win. We can’t let that happen,” Beck said. “So attack me!” He held out his sword and pulled on the leather armor.

“Are you crazy? That’s exactly what they want,” Cutler said.

“So let’s give them what they want.” Beck threw a punch, which Cutler quickly blocked.

“No. I won’t fight you.” Cutler didn’t retaliate.

“Fine. Then you’ll die a coward.” Beck kicked out and hit Cutler hard in the torso. He flew backward.

Cutler glared, pulled on his own armor, then pulled out his sword and ran at Beck. He sliced down, but Beck blocked the attack and used the momentum to launch Cutler over him.

Cutler threw a knife, but Beck batted it away with his sword. The walls began to close in. Cutler chased Beck around the enclosure, but didn’t try to attack again.

“Is that the best you can do?” Beck said. Cutler threw again, but Beck ran and jumped off the walls, so the knife missed.

Beck picked up the fallen weapon and threw it at Cutler, who threw another knife. Beck’s throw went high, and Cutler nearly caught it, but Beck leaped over and held his sword out.

Cutler drew back, then whipped the legs out from under Beck with a well-timed kick.

Now he was at an advantage, kneeling over Beck with his sword out.

“Finish him,” Tesler said.

Cutler thrust his sword, and Beck closed his eyes.

But when the hard, metallic sound finished, Beck was still alive. He opened his eyes to see Cutler’s sword embedded in the ground beside his head.

Cutler took a few steps back.

“I forfeit,” he shouted. “He wins. Let him go.”

“Cutler,” Beck said.

“You’re the better fighter. If we wanna defeat Clu, you’re the right person to do it.”

General Tesler and his lieutenants watched in disbelief.

“Did he say he forfeits?” Tesler asked.

“Yes, sir,” Pavel said.

“He can’t do that.”

“I think he just did, sir.”

Tesler leaned out of the box. “No forfeits. Prepare for immediate execution.”

Beck and Cutler looked at each other.  _ This was not what I had in mind, _ Beck thought.

The crowd chanted unexpectedly. “One goes free! One goes free!”

Lady Paige stepped up beside Tesler. “Do you think it’s wise to let them both perish?”

“If they both wish to be executed, I have no problem obliging them.”

“No, but you did promise the crowd freedom.”

“So?”

“So, you’ve got an image to uphold. The benevolent leader.” Paige waved her hand. “One should go free. But the other one?”

General Tesler nodded. “People of Argon,” he announced. “Both of these enemies deserve to perish. But we are not savages. I made a promise to you, and I intend to uphold it. Number five, you will be rewarded with your freedom. Even though,” he scoffed, “you clearly failed to earn it.”

Beck’s mind was racing.  _ Set me free? I lost to Cutler. He was within an inch of killing me. Why free me? _

“As for number three, at the end of the next day, you will meet your end in Argon Square, where you will be destroyed... Bit by excruciating bit.”

The crowd that had saved Beck now sang a different tune. “Kill him! Kill him!”

“No man makes a mockery of the games and lives,” Tesler finished.

Beck was taken out of the arena by two soldiers, who led him out of the Coliseum and removed his bonds. “You’re free to go.”

Behind him, two more soldiers passed by with Cutler, still in chains.

“Cutler!” Beck cried.

“Stand down.” The soldiers restrained him and kept him away from Cutler.

“Beck, promise me,” Cutler said. One of his guards hit him with his staff. Cutler bent over double and kneeled. His armband fell to the ground. “Find Tron!”

Beck broke away from his guards and ran to pick up the armband.

“Join him. Don’t stop fighting!” Cutler finished.

That night, Beck took his horse and rode hard into the Outlands. Even in the lightning storm, Beck was a skilled enough rider to control his horse and stay on track.

“We had a choice,” Beck said. “Me or Cutler. I’m not sure we chose the right one.” He looked at the symbol on the armband. “He’s the real hero. He could have made a difference.”

“You managed to survive the Games and walk away with all your limbs intact. Seems like you did okay,” Tron said. His voice creaked more than rumbled this time, like rusty metal.

“I let them take Cutler away to be executed,” Beck said. He looked back from the window. “I failed. Again.”

Tron walked out of the glowing, spell-filled chamber, scars glowing slightly. The moment he left it, he stumbled to the ground with a grunt.

“Are you all right?” Beck asked.

“I’ll be fine,” Tron grunted. He pulled himself upright with an effort. “That healing chamber is the only thing holding these scars at bay. But you have more pressing matters to worry about.” Tron walked over to the window. “Now, your friend. He’s still alive, right?”

“Yes. Until tomorrow.”

“Then you haven’t failed. Yet.” Tron looked at Beck.

“Right.”

Back at the stables, Beck opened his cupboard and pulled out Tron’s armor. As he entered the hallway, Zed approached him.

“Beck! Oh boy, am I glad I found you. Look, I did something really stupid, and I could really use your help.”

“Sorry, Zed, I gotta go.” Beck said quickly. “Did you ask Mara? Maybe she could help.”

As Beck hurried away, Zed said, “Kind of hoping to keep her out of this one.”

Beck left the garage and hid in a dark corner between the buildings. He took out the armor and put it on. Soon he was a mirror image to Tron, complete with the ‘T’ symbol made of squares on his chest, the silver armor and helmet.

He whistled for his horse and mounted it, then raced away.

“I can’t believe I let her…” Zed said. “Who am I kidding, I’m finished!”

“What’s wrong?” Mara said, turning away from the horse she was taking care of.

“Nothing. Everything,” Zed said. “Remember Perl, the girl from the tavern? Big mistake. I kind of --”

“Zed!” Able entered the room. Zed started and dropped the things he had been nervously fiddling with. “Have you seen my horse?”

“Which horse? You’ve got a hundred horses,” Zed bluffed.

“ _ The _ horse. You know, the Enkomian warhorse?” Able pressed.

“Funny story about that. Oh, you should sit down,” Zed said. “You see, uh,” Before he could continue, Mara broke in.

“Oh, I totally forgot. We’re late!”

“For what?” Zed asked.

“You know, um, the  _ thing _ ? Bye!” Mara pulled Zed away and ran out of the stables.

“Mmhmm,” Able said, suspicious.

“What are you doing?” Zed asked.

“I’m helping you get that horse back from Perl.”

“Wow, that obvious?”

“Ha! Even from across the tavern.”

“We’ll never find her,” Zed said.

“Maybe not. But, we can find the horse,” Mara said, waving a horse whistle. “Come on!”

Zed followed her out of the stables.

Up on one of the tallest buildings in Argon, Beck stood and watched a small wing of dragons pass over the town. He removed his helmet and pulled a spyglass from his toolbelt. Using it, he looked at each dragon to see which Cutler was being taken on. He replaced the helmet.

As the dragons passed by the roof Beck was standing on, he watched and jumped onto the one Cutler was on.

“Hey!” one of the soldiers exclaimed. Beck knocked both out before they could alert the rest of the riders.

Cutler, bound, spotted Beck in armor. “Tron, is that really you?”

“Let’s get you out of here,” Beck said.  _ I won’t lie to him _ .

He took the reins and turned the dragon away from the rest of the group.

“Why is that dragon going  _ the wrong way! _ ” Pavel shouted when he noticed.

“What?” one soldier asked.

“Does anyone else notice our prisoner escaping? Shoot it down!” Pavel said.

Two eagle riders fell in with the dragons and prepared their bows. A volley of arrows hit the wing of the dragon Beck and Cutler were riding.

They were losing altitude. The dragon slowed and began to fall.

“We’re too low!” Cutler exclaimed.

“I got it.” Beck coaxed the dragon up a few more feet, but its tail still hit the rooftops and scraped along the tops of the building. Finally, it landed on a rooftop and refused to move.

Beck and Cutler dragged the soldiers off the dragon’s back and onto the roof.

“How could you let this happen?” Pavel exclaimed.

“Let what happen, Pavel?” General Tesler asked.

“Uh, we have a small problem, sir.”

“Looks like I’ll have to clean up your mess,” Paige said. “Again.”

Tesler sighed.

Beck and Cutler ran across the rooftop. A knife flew past, narrowly missing Beck’s head. 

Paige descended on Beck with her glider wings still open. “You again,” she said, noticing the ‘T’ on his armor. “Love the new look.”

She held her sword out, ready to attack.

Cutler threw his knife, which missed Paige, but hit a taut rope and severed it.

“Huh. You aren’t exactly a fighter, are you?” she asked Cutler.

“No,” Cutler said. The rope released a windmill, leaving it free to spin. It knocked Paige off the roof and sent her flying. “I studied aerodynamics.”

He made his way over to Beck, and they ran off across the rooftops.

A group of people stood around a roaring fire, throwing in leather bridles, straps, and wooden pieces.

“This is all you brought me?” a tall, imposing man said to Perl.

“It’s an Enkomian. It’s one of a kind,” she said.

“It’s kind of an elderly horse!” he said.

“Do you know how valuable it is? His Majesty Flynn rode one just like it!” Perl insisted.

“Didn’t you hear me? It’s not worth anything!” the man shouted. “But, uh, since it’s worthless…” He mounted it and began to go through paces, trotting in a circle and leaping past the bonfire.

Zed and Mara crouched nearby. “It’s official,” Zed said. “Able’s going to kill me. Any ideas?”

“They have us outnumbered. But if we take them by surprise…” Mara trailed off as a series of metallic scrapes and scratches echoed around them.

“Surprise!” Perl said, holding out a short sword.

In the streets of Argon, several soldiers with catapults and horses stood in the way.

“The whole city’s on alert!” Cutler said as he and Beck passed by secretly.

“Then we get you out of the city,” Beck said. “Go!”

They ran straight for the barricade. The sentries tried to stop Beck, but he grabbed one of their staffs and knocked them unconscious with it. Cutler followed Beck over the barricade.

On the other side was a drop into the water. “We have to jump,” Beck said.

“What?” Cutler asked.

“Don’t hesitate. Trust me!” Beck leaped over the gap as the catapults fired. “Come on!”

Cutler followed, and Beck caught him by the hand. “Where are you going? The revolution needs you.”

The catapult couldn’t follow them over the gap, so Beck and Cutler used that time to escape. “Let’s go.”

“What are you doing here?” Perl asked Zed and Mara.

“Just.. returning your horse,” Zed answered. He held out the bridle. “Good as new.”

“You let him follow you here?” the man asked Perl.

“He’s nobody. Just an easy mark,” Perl said.

“Why did you do this?” Zed asked.

“Because it was fun. Watching you sulk at the tavern, watching the girls dance, you seemed so… what’s the word?” She turned to the man.

“Desperate? Gullible?”

“Pathetic,” Perl said. “As if any girl in her right mind would ever be attracted to such a weak, hopeless--” She was cut off by Mara’s fist.

“That’s my friend you’re talking to,” Mara said. “Grab it!” she told Zed - Perl had dropped the bridle of the Enkomian. Zed climbed onto the horse, and Mara mounted behind.

“What are you waiting for? Get them!” Perl said.

She hopped on a horse, as did several others of her group.

Beck and Cutler raced across the rooftops facing the oceanside. “Those boats should get us out of the city,” Beck told Cutler. A row of sailboats lay moored just ahead.

As they leaped to the ground, Paige jumped down in front of them and pulled out her sword.

“End of the road, fugitives,” she said. 

She rushed at them and swung her sword at Beck. Beck dodged, but Paige also kicked out and hit Cutler. She made another few swings, but Beck avoided them and kicked at her.

He ran at her and swung his own sword, but she dodged and he hit the wall. She kicked him aside and he went down. Cutler ran forward and put Paige in a headlock, but she rammed him into the wall, broke his grip, and threw him to the ground. Beck and Cutler stood up and grabbed onto a container being hoisted across to the boats on a pulley system.

Paige was forced to follow. She ran across, jumped on barrels and leaped onto the container.

“You’re going to wear yourself out,” Beck cautioned. “Just tell Tesler you lost us.” Cutler pulled out a knife and threw it, and Beck took out his sword. Cutler missed, and found himself accidentally reaching for Beck’s knives.

“That’s, uh, yeah.”

They looked at each other.

While they were distracted, Paige ran at them, sword out, and swung. Cutler and Beck dodged, but Paige wasn’t aiming for them - she hit the rope holding the container up. It crashed to the ground, with Beck and Cutler on one side, and Paige on the other.

She climbed to the top of the container and held her sword out with a shaking hand.

_ Hah, knew it, _ Beck thought.

In another part of the city, Zed and Mara galloped away from the pursuing thugs. 

“Uh, Zed, they’re gaining on us.”

“Brace yourself,” Zed said, and turned the horse.

“What are you doing? They’ll be on top of us any second!”

“Trust me, okay?”

The thugs caught up to them and stopped short.

“Like I said, pathetic,” Perl said.

“I’m gonna enjoy this,” the man beside her said.

“Not nearly as much as I am,” Zed said. He threw a tool up and cut a rope holding another container.

The thugs realized this and scattered to avoid being crushed.

With a large container between the thugs and their horse, Mara and Zed safely galloped away.

Paige threw herself into the swing, viciously swiping at Beck and Cutler. She quickly isolated Beck and their blades clashed.

The thugs trotted to the seaside roads and passed Beck, Cutler and Paige. Cutler and Beck quickly flattened themselves against the walls, while Paige was left to dodge the flying hooves of the thugs’ horses.

Mara laughed. “Oh, that was amazing!” The Enkomian horse reared happily.

Paige and Perl picked themselves off the ground as Beck and Cutler ran off. As Perl walked past to return to her horse, Paige grabbed her arm.

“Get off of me before I kill--” Perl said, but Paige knocked her to the ground.

“Trust me, you really don’t wanna finish that sentence.”

Beck and Cutler jumped into one of the moored sailboats and lifted the anchor. Soon, with the sail up, they began to move away from the port. Cutler looked back.

A soldier with Tesler in his boat said, “Enemy craft detected.”

Tesler smiled. “Nowhere to run this time, rogue.” His boat began to follow.

“I really thought it was over for us back there,” Cutler said.

Tesler’s boat sailed into view.

“It’s not over yet,” Beck said. Archers on the boat began to shoot at the rogue craft. Beck and Cutler’s boat was smaller and more maneuverable than the larger ship, so they circled it, making it difficult for the archers to hit. Finally, they sailed forward, out into the sea.

Cutler looked at the side of the boat. “I think we’ve got a problem,” he said. The arrows had torn a gash in the sail and lodged in the hull.

A smaller boat with red and black markings followed Beck and Cutler’s boat. Pavel laughed at them from within it and rammed their boat.

The wooden sides splintered and rubbed against each other.

“Permission to board, rogue?” Pavel asked and jumped onto the other boat. He raised his sword and slashed at Beck. Beck returned his blow and blocked.

General Tesler’s boat was catching up. Beck swung his sword, forced Pavel back, and pushed him into the water.

“We’re not going to make it,” Cutler said.

“Come on!” Beck said. He jumped to Pavel’s boat.

Far behind them, a white boat sailed forward.

Cutler climbed across and followed. Beck hit at the place where the two boats had crashed together with his sword, over and over.

“Bring all weapons to bear!” General Tesler ordered.

As Beck kept hitting at the joined boats, trying to separate them, Tesler’s archers shot at him.

A white and silver boat rushed by and pulled Pavel’s boat away, cracking it into pieces. Beck caught a glimpse of his mentor’s face at the wheel, but he turned the boat away.

The white boat continued to follow beside them. “Who was that?” Cutler asked.

“A friend,” Beck said.  _ He showed up just in time. _

Back in the port, Pavel clung to a scrap of wood. “Help me. Help me!” Tesler’s boat slowed to pick him up.

Cutler maneuvered the boat to the side of the harbor so the Rogue could return to Argon. “There’s a man named Beck. If it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t be here right now.”

“That’s funny,” Beck said calmly. “I met him. He said the same thing about you. And he told me to give you this.”  
He tossed Cutler the armband.

“How do I thank you?” Cutler asked.

“I need recruits. Will you spread the word?” Beck asked.

“Count on it. The uprising will spread throughout the kingdom when other people learn the truth. Tron lives!” Cutler held his hand high, then turned the boat and sailed away over the sea.

“I shoulda known better. I don’t deserve a girl like Perl,” Zed said. “I mean, look at her! And then look at me!”

“Focus, Zed. Able will be here any moment!”

Zed and Mara were brushing down and grooming the Enkomian. They tried to hide any evidence of their escapades.

“Able?” Beck said, walking in. “I just saw him in the break room. What happened?”

“We’re dead. We’re dead! Well, it was nice knowing you all,” Zed exclaimed.

Beck examined the horse. “You two distract Able. Let me take a look at this.”

“Thanks, Beck. Come on, hurry!” Mara said to Zed.

In the breakroom, Zed tried to slow Able down. “So, the third lady said, ‘I thought that sword looked-” he sighed, “You’ve heard this one before.”

“Zed. I’m the one that told it to you? Now where’s my Enkomian?”

“Well, you see, it’s, uh,” Zed stammered.

“All ready,” Beck said. “Just like you wanted it.”

The horse neighed happily.

“Great job, Beck,” Able said.

“Actually,” Mara said. “Beck’s not the only one who deserves credit. Zed does too,” she said. She looked over at Zed, blue hair ribbons bouncing. “And he deserves a whole lot more than that.”

“I do?” Zed asked. “I do.” he corrected. “Beck helped, but I did all the heavy lifting.”

He laid his hand on the horse’s neck, but it shied away.

Beck walked up to Tron within the mountain shelter.

“So, are you here to continue the fight… or to quit?” Tron asked.

“I know there are going to be setbacks, as well as victories, but - I guess that’s okay, as long as we keep fighting,” Beck said, thinking of Cutler, “and never lose hope. So, now what?”

“You keep training. Like I said, you’ve got a lot to learn.”


	4. Blackout

A dragon flew over Argon and landed in a clear space where soldiers led a small group of captives onto its back. On a nearby cliffside, Beck stood in full Rogue disguise and watched. As the dragon took off again, Beck ran along the edge of the cliff, then whistled sharply and jumped off.

For a few tense moments he was in freefall. Beck pulled on his helmet.

Then a leathery black and blue creature wheeled up and caught him on its back. The wyvern flew fast, and on it, Beck soon passed below the larger red-marked dragon. He pulled up and looped back, riding straight for the dragon. Just before the collision, Beck jumped off his wyvern, which dove out of the way, and landed on the dragon’s back.

He pulled out his sword. “I think we all know where this is going.”

The two guards were quickly incapacitated with the flat of Beck’s blade.

“Don’t like being taken against your will?” he asked one. “Guess what. Neither do they,” he said, gesturing to the prisoners.

Beck grabbed onto the dragon’s reins, removed his helmet, and steered the dragon.

“Hey. I know you,” one of the guards said. “From the sparring circle. What, don’t you remember me? I’m the one who killed your friend… Bodhi.”

“I remember,” Beck said. He let go of the reins and turned to face the guard. “And you’re never gonna hurt anyone again.”

Beck heard a scritch of metal on metal as the other guard pulled out his sword. “You’re dead.”

He plunged the sword into Beck’s chest.

Beck cried out in surprise. Before he realized what had happened, the soldier in front of him disappeared - and so did the other. And the prisoners, and the dragon below him. All that was left was the simple, birch paneled room in Tron’s hideout.

“We need to go again. Let’s try it in Argon Square,” Tron said. He waved his hand and changed the marking on the floor.

“Did pretty good up until then,” Beck said.

“Then you got killed. ‘Pretty good’ won’t cut it.”

As they spoke, forms appeared out of thin air, building an impressive illusion of the city square.

“You showed your face,” Tron continued.

“The helmet gets itchy.”

“You let your emotions get the best of you. Now, let’s go again.”

“I can’t,” Beck said. “Got a job, remember? Able will kill me if I’m late.” He turned as Tron inspected part of the still-nebulous illusion. “You know, this whole ‘fight for freedom’ thing would be easier if I could tell my friends what I’m doing.”

“All telling them will do is drag them into this fight and put them on the front lines. Do you want to get them killed?”

Beck looked away.

“This fight isn’t about you, it’s about them. Now, let’s go again.”

Before Beck could reply, the room dimmed, and the illusion dropped. The torches guttered as if in the wind.

Beck and Tron rushed to the window overlooking Argon.

“What was that?” Beck asked.

“I don’t know,” Tron said. “But you’ll find out.”

“You want time off?” Able exclaimed, his voice squeaking. “Again? You know, it’s only a job if you actually do the work. I need stablehands I can count on, Beck.”

“I’m sorry, it’s a personal thing. Hard to talk about.”

“Beck! You can tell me.”

“I… can’t,” Beck said.

The lights in the stable dimmed, and several horses whinnied, spooked.

“What in the- Oh, great,” Able said.

“So, about that time off,” Beck pressed.

“No can do. With these blackouts, I need all hands on deck.”

Beck sighed.

“Okay,” Able relented. “If you can get someone to cover you.”

“Thanks!” Beck said. “Zed just finished his shift. I’ll get him to pull a double.”

He walked into the workers’ quarters. “Zed? Zed! Zed.” But there was no answer.

A man chuckled.

“So I’m in?” Zed asked. Hiding in dark corners wasn’t really his thing. 

“Oh, you’re in. But you’re going to wish you weren’t,” the man replied. He and his two companions walked away.

“Zed.” Beck said. “What were you doing with those guys?”

“Can you keep a secret?” Zed asked.

“Yeah, think I can handle that.” Beck chuckled softly.  _ Plenty of secrets to keep Zed’s company. _ “What’s going on? Are you in trouble?”

“No, nothing like that. It’s the Argon Race. It’s no longer through the city. Bartik and Hopper found some tunnels that run under the outlands.”

“Think you can beat those guys?”

“I know I can. Look who I found,” Zed said. He whistled, and a powerfully built horse trotted up beside him.

“Okay, that is pretty impressive.”

“He’s from Enkomian stock on one side and Argonian on the other. Faster than almost any other horse, and reliable too. I trained him myself.”

“You know you’re a little crazy?” Beck asked.

“So you won’t tell anyone?”

“That you’re crazy? No, that’s already out there.”

“About the race.”

The lit windows of the buildings around them grew dark, then fluttered back to brightness.

“Sure. But you gotta do something for me. Cover my shift? It’s about to start.”

“Why can’t you do your shift?”

“I.. just, don’t feel like working,” Beck lied. “So, deal? Will you just do it for me?”

“You’re getting real lazy lately,” Zed said.

“Takes practice. You’re the best.”

Beck mounted his horse and cantered off.

“Where’s he going in this weather?” Zed asked.

A dragon flew through the Outlands and landed in a deep divot in the snowy ground. Tesler and Pavel dismounted.

“Why is the mine stopped?” Tesler asked. “How are we going to mine the flame ore? With good intentions? Get it going.”

“The mining caused a blackout in the city. I was trying to prevent casualties,” Paige said.

“Since when do I care if a few people get killed?” Tesler asked.

“Yeah, since when do we care?” Pavel echoed.

“Restart work,” Tesler ordered.

Paige whistled and two soldiers pulled a cartload of burning red ore from the mines.

“Pavel, take over from here. I think you’re better suited,” Tesler said. He turned to leave.

“Wait. What?” Paige exclaimed.

“You’ve been sloppy lately,” Tesler said.

“Extremely.” Pavel smiled at her.

“I think I found the source of our blackouts,” Beck said, standing with Tron at the edge of the divot.

“Greed and stupidity,” Tron said. “Dangerous combination.”

The dragon took off. Tron and Beck jumped down from the edge to avoid being spotted.

“If the mines go further and hit the vein of flame ore,” Tron said, but Beck interrupted.

“They’ll absorb the flames from the city. We’ll lose our light, our forges-” Beck started.

“Our lives,” Tron finished. “Tesler’s about to cause a massive inferno that will destroy Argon.”

“So we get rid of the mine,” Beck said. “What do I do? Fight through those guards, block the entrance?”

“You wouldn’t make it.”

“Hey.”

“You wouldn’t,” Tron repeated. “You need to enter through the tunnels.”

Beck’s eyes widened. “The tunnels?”  _ The same tunnels Zed is going to race through? _

“Yes,” Tron said. He pulled out a metal shell with a fuse - an explosive. “Plant this at the spot where the tunnels branch out. When it goes off, make sure you’re far away.”

“Tron, these tunnels - the Argon race is about to start. Inside them.”

“Then go. Now. Stop the mine, or no one will be finishing that race.”

Beck raced through the Outlands on his horse and found the entrance to the tunnels. The sounds of his horse’s hooves clicked and echoed through the rocky tunnels. Then he paused and pulled out a map. The path he’d taken was clearly marked, but although he was at the place the mine tunnels connected, he didn’t see the branches.

“It should be here,” he said. He looked up and spotted a thin crack in the ceiling - small, but large enough to fit a cart. “Or up there.”

He dismounted his horse and began to climb. Before long, he’d spotted the train of carts and the branching tunnels of the mine. Beck put on his helmet.

“I hope you pack a punch,” he said, looking down at the explosive. He looked up and spotted a guard.

The guard punched him.

Beck fell back through the hole and dropped the explosive. The guard stepped on his chest and laughed. He aimed his staff for another blow, but Beck forced him back and got up. The explosive was lit now, and Beck grabbed it. The guard threw a knife and forced Beck away from the explosive. Beck couldn’t get out his own sword, so he stepped back and dodged away from the guard’s blows. He grabbed the guard’s staff and knocked him unconscious with it, then threw the staff away and grabbed the explosive. 

“The bomb!”

He snuffed out its fuse. “Phew.”

As he climbed back to the mine branches, Beck heard the telltale nasally voice of Pavel. “Paige may have tolerated your incompetence, but I won’t. There’s a new boss in charge - me! That’s right. You’re looking at him. The big cheese. The head honcho. King of the hill! Numero uno!”

While Pavel lectured the guards, Beck snuck past and found the main entrance and supplies. He placed the bomb and lit it, then quickly got outside. Off in the distance, on the outskirts of Argon, a huge bonfire glowed.

“Zed.”

At the bonfire, a crowd chanted and cheered for the horsemen of the race. Mara was among them, cheering for Zed and ready for the action.

“Welcome to the Argon Race,” a lady stood next to the bonfire and announced. “The only rule? There are no rules. Racers, begin!”

The racers mounted their horses and galloped forward. One unlucky racer was bucked off his horse immediately. He groaned. “Can I get a do-over?”

Hopper chuckled as he rode forward into the tunnels.

Beck looked around. His horse was nowhere to be found. 

_ I need to get out of here - quick! And warn Zed. _ He spotted an elderly carthorse near the exit of the mines.

“Oh, great,” he said sarcastically. He untied it and mounted it, then rode deeper into the tunnels.

The horse was slow. Too slow. It was so old, it could barely move faster than a trot. 

“Come on. That’s all you’ve got?” Beck asked.

Back in the race, Zed looked back - he was getting a lead on the jockey behind him. Two of the other jockeys, also behind Zed, narrowed in on the jockey between them. As they caught him between them, one of the jockeys cut the middle jockey’s rein and laughed.

“Uh,” he said, as his horse halted and the others pulled ahead.

Paige walked forward, inspecting the tunnels. She spotted Beck’s map, forgotten on the ground.

As she picked it up, the guard spoke. “It… it was the Rogue.”

Beck brought the carthorse to a halt in the middle of a bridge in one of the tunnels. Sharp clicking and clopping sounds echoed as the jockeys raced through the tunnels ahead.

“Oh no. I’m too late,” Beck said. “Think fast, Beck.”

He trotted onward and dropped another small explosive behind him to destroy the bridge.

One of the jockeys sped up beside another. His horse reared and kicked the other jockey off her horse. She screamed.

“Three down, one to go,” Bartik said. He and the other jockey, Hopper, galloped up beside Zed, who was still in the lead. “You ready to go down?” he asked, holding up his sword.

Zed replied by spurring on his horse, which galloped and left the two behind. “See ya, ladies!”

He continued to speed, while Bartik and Hopper struggled to keep up. However, when Zed approached the broken bridge, he came to a stop. “Whoa!”

Bartik and Hopper continued to follow, but were forced to stop at the bridge as well.

“This race is over,” Beck shouted from the top of the bridge.

“What do you care what we do?” Zed asked.

Beck hopped down from the bridge. “There’s a mine at the end of this tunnel with a bomb in it. When it goes off, an inferno will rip through here. Now, go.”

“I don’t have time to mess with you, Rogue,” Bartik said. “So we’re gonna go.”

“What? What about the race?” Zed asked.

“What do you care? You were losing anyway,” Hopper said, as he rode off.

“No… I wasn’t,” Zed protested.

“A bomb, huh?” Paige asked. She stood on the rubble at the other end of the bridge. “I’ll take care of that. Thanks for the tip.” She mounted her horse and rode away.

“Sorry about this,” Beck said. He took the reins from Zed and mounted his horse.

“Hey! Hey, I own that, you know!” Zed exclaimed. As Beck galloped away, Zed called after him. “Oh! Be careful!”

“The miners aren’t working hard enough!” Pavel yelled. “Speed it up, you imbecile!”

Just then, a rumble rolled through the mine shaft. “Get back to work.”

“Sir?”

“If it were serious, there would have been a…” Pavel trailed off as another rumble passed.

Beck raced back through the tunnels on Zed’s horse, following Paige.

“You don’t know what you’re doing!” Beck shouted.

“I’m bringing order to the kingdom. I don’t think you know what you’re doing.”

As further rumbles and crashes sounded from within the mine, Pavel looked around uneasily. “Perhaps I should supervise from a safe distance,” he said. He ran onto his dragon. “Fly!”

Paige and Beck continued to race back to the mine.

“You hear that?! If that bomb detonates while we’re still in these tunnels, we both die,” Beck yelled. “I’m trying to save your life.”

Paige’s horse reared. “It doesn’t need saving!”

They stopped at the edge of the mine as the bomb went off. 

“Go! Go!” Beck said.

Both riders turned quickly and galloped away as fire roared behind them. The ore ignited and the torches throughout the city darkened and brightened.

Beck and Paige raced away from the inferno. As Beck rode, he pulled out his sword and gouged the wall, creating a rockslide behind them.

“Keep going! It won’t hold for long!”

The rocks rumbled, then flames burst through and continued to roar forward.

Paige and Beck continued to ride, but Paige’s horse wasn’t as fast as the horse from Zed. 

“Your horse isn’t fast enough! Get on!” Beck shouted over the flames.

“In your dreams!” Paige spat.

“Get on.” Beck grabbed Paige’s arm and wrenched her onto his horse.

“Aah!” Paige shouted.

Paige’s horse tried to escape the flames, but it was soon overwhelmed. Beck spurred on his horse and galloped away from the inferno.

“I just saved your life. A thanks would be nice,” Beck said.

Paige kicked Beck’s head. “Thanks!”

She hit him and grabbed one arm.

Beck wrestled against her, then pulled out a knife.

“Really? You need that?” Paige asked.

“It’s not for you!” Beck shouted. He threw it and broke open a collapsed passageway. “Saved your life. Again.”

Paige pulled out her sword. “Let’s just finish this.”

The roaring flames of the inferno followed them closely.

“We may not have to,” Beck said.

Paige looked around. In front of them was the opening to the tunnels. Paige and Beck hurtled through just before the fire bellowed out.

Beck, on the horse, stopped a safe distance from the flames. Paige fell off and rolled to the ground. “See ya around.”

Paige stared after him.

“He took Paige out in the explosion. They were both killed. But I kept my head about me and saved our entire battalion,” Pavel explained to Tesler.

“That’s funny,” Lady Paige said, walking in. “I don’t feel dead.”

“You’re alive? I, I mean it’s a miracle!” Pavel exclaimed.

“And the Rogue?” General Tesler asked.

“Survived too. But I’ve got an idea how to handle him,” Paige said.

“Hey,” Beck said. He walked up to Zed. “Mara told me what happened. How you doing?”

“I’m okay.” Zed said, brushing off a horse beside him.

“Able got you working late?”

“Nah, just training a new horse… which, thanks to the Rogue, is how I’m spending my free time. He stole my old one.”

“I think he’s just trying to make things better,” Beck said.  _ I really am. _

“How come every time he tries to make things better, they get worse for me?”

“Zed, there’s something I wanna tell you.”

“Yeah?”

Beck took a deep breath.  _ Do I dare? Bring him into this?  _ “Word around town, you would have won the race.”

“Thanks.” Zed looked down.

Beck walked away.  _ I can’t bring him into this. I wish it wasn’t so hard - I even still have his horse, safe in Tron’s shelter. _

“What’s up, Zed?” Bartik asked.

“What do you want?”

“Lemme get this straight. You trained this, and the other one, from the race?”

“You mean the one the Rogue stole? Yeah.”

“Can you train more?”

“What does it look like I’m doing?” Zed exclaimed.

“I like this guy. He’s got attitude. We could use someone like you.”

“For what?” Zed asked.

“To stop the Rogue.” Paige revealed herself behind the two racers. “I’m putting together a team to hunt him down. Are you in?”

“Citizens of Argon,” Tesler announced in the square. “The nightmare is over. The plot to sap the flames has been foiled, and we know the culprit. It was the work of a miscreant, who wears this profanity.”

Members of the occupation force held up parchments with Tron’s T symbol on them.

“The mark of a traitor. The mark of Tron. But fear not. Tron is dead. And I assure you, this imposter, this… this Rogue, will be brought to justice!” Tesler continued. The parchments with Tron’s symbol were turned around to reveal Clu’s likeness.

The crowd cheered.

Able and Mara stood among them, quiet. Zed cheered as loud as anyone.

“Never forget. We are here for you,” Tesler finished.

The crowd chanted his name, “Tesler, Tesler, Tesler!”

Tesler turned aside.

“Excellent work, Paige. Any more ideas?”

“I have a few,” she said.

As the crowd continued to cheer the occupation and Clu on, Beck and Tron stood on the roof of a building bordering the square.

“If we prevail in this conflict, they’ll understand,” Tron said.


	5. Identity

Beck inspected a parchment nailed to the wall with the Rogue’s likeness drawn on it, and a bold ‘Wanted’ written below it. 

“I’m flattered, but I like my privacy,” he said. He tore it down, put it in his diary, and attached a different parchment to the wall. As he made his way back to the square, Beck replaced more parchments, then removed his armor and entered.

People began to point and talk about the new parchments on the walls. Beck had written in large letters, “Tron Lives!” He smiled and walked away.

While he waited near the crowded main street of Argon, guards pressed into the group. 

“There’s been a security breach. Prepare to be searched.”

“Oh, no,” Beck said. He looked down at the diary in his hand.

A few of the people ahead of him protested as the guards patted them down. “What’s going on?”

One man approached Beck from behind. “Hey. Something tells me you don’t want these goons checking you out either.”

“Nah,” Beck lied. “Just late for work. Hope this doesn’t take long.”

“Yeah, right. Look, they don’t need to see what we’ve got with us. Right?”

In front of them, two guards restrained a man while another inspected his sword.

“Hey, you can’t take my sword like that!”

“Stand down or you will be executed,” the soldier told him.

“Now’s your chance,” Galt told him. “Follow me.”

Beck followed Galt through the street and into an alley between two buildings.

“Well, this is where we split up,” Galt said.

“Hey, thanks,” Beck said. He walked back into the main street, while Galt turned the opposite way.  _ Didn’t I have something in my hand? _

He turned around. Galt waved his journal and sword mockingly.

“He stole my sword - and my diary!” Beck exclaimed. He sighed. “Way to go, Beck. You just lost everything.”

Beck swung a light, wooden sword. “It won’t work,” he said.

“That’s because it’s a fake. You need to carry it with you. If you’re spotted without your sword, someone will realize you’ve been duped. And you have bigger problems,” Tron said.

“What? What bigger problems?” Beck asked.

“I detected traces of a memory spell on you. It activated when he stole your diary. Without it, you’ll start to forget - everything.”

“How long do I have?” Beck asked.

“Not long. You’ve already lost valuable time,” Tron said.

“And... if we don’t get my diary back?”

“Your memory will fade. Everything you’ve ever seen or experienced… you’ll forget. You’ll be a stray.”

“So, I really messed up. I’ve put you, my friends, and the revolution in danger.”

Tron didn’t reply. He fingered the edge of his tunic.

Angered, Beck continued. “Hey, by the way, this is the part where you’re supposed to cheer your friend up.”

“I’d rather you just get your diary and sword back.”

“Okay, so we’re not friends. Got it.” It stung more than Beck would admit.  _ I’ve trained under him for how long now? And I’m the only one who knows he’s still alive. But of course I can’t be his friend. _ “Where do we start?”

“There’s a black market for stolen goods, but you can’t go there alone. Not in your condition.” Tron’s tunic altered in appearance, changing from the more ornate design of his crest to a few simple decorations, and pulled on a hood.

“I wonder if he’s really Tron, like they’re saying. I actually kinda hope he isn’t,” Mara said as she leaned against the door of the stall Zed was working in. “I like his whole aura of mystery.”

“Mystery? Yeah, right. More like scared to show his face.”

Bartik and Hopper laughed from the other side of the room.

“Uh, what are they doing here?” Mara asked.

Zed chuckled nervously. “Uh..” He walked up to the two.

“Lady Paige’s Rogue taskforce is operational. This could be a big deal for all of us if we catch him,” Bartik said.

“Yeah, about that…” Zed hesitated.

“I want you to make a weapon. One that could stop the Rogue in a chase. You do that and this is yours,” Bartik said. He showed Zed a yellow armband.

“Look, I agree the Rogue is making things worse in Argon, but--”

“What’d I tell you? Waste of time,” Hopper interrupted. “Knew he didn’t have the guts.”

“The Rogue stole your horse. Do you like being a laughing stock?” Bartik walked away.

Zed looked up at where Mara and a few of the other girls stood, giggling, then looked down at the armband.

“Wait,” he said. “I’m in.”

Bartik and Hopper looked at each other and chuckled.

“Purgos,” Tron said as he rode across some outlying fields. “The original settlement of Argon. Before the war, this was a boom town.”

Beck followed closely on his horse.

“Now it’s a garbage heap. You’ll start with the pawn shops.”

Inside one small shop, Beck rummaged through bins of old clothing and junk.

“You didn’t answer my question,” Tron rumbled.

“I’m not sure I heard it right,” the shopkeeper said. “You’re asking me if I have diaries and swords? Real swords?  
“I know you have a secret stash somewhere,” Tron said.

“Look, I don’t know what you think, but I run a clean shop here. If you want stolen goods,” the shopkeeper chuckled nervously, “you’ll have to try elsewhere.”

“Please, we’ve been to three shops already. This is very important. If you know anything, you have to tell us,” Beck pleaded.

“I know when I see a person in trouble.” The shopkeeper sighed. “I’ll help you. Let me ask around.”

“We’ll come with you,” Tron said.

“Alone,” the shopkeeper added. “Sorry, that’s just how it’ll have to be. There’s a canteen around the corner. I’ll meet you there.” He stood up. “My name’s Kobol. You know, it’s good you found me. In Purgos, you can’t trust anyone.”

As Tron and Beck walked out to the canteen, Tron removed his hood. “He was lying.”

“You mean Kobol? The only solid lead we’ve come up with so far?”

“If it’s a lead at all,” Tron said. “Beck, in case we don’t find your diary, I need to prepare you for the memory loss.”

“This should be fun,” Beck muttered.

“It’s a flash. It comes without warning. One moment you’re normal, the next you’re forgetting your own name. But you’ll recover… At least, the first few times.”

“And after the first few times?” Beck asked.

“Permanent amnesia. You won’t know who you are anymore.”

“Well, it’s not going to come to that,” Beck said. “We’re going to find the man who did this for me and put him out of business.”

Tron put his hand on Beck’s shoulder. “Beck, we’re being followed.” He pulled on his hood.

“You mean, surrounded,” Beck corrected, as a group of several people walked out of the shadows around them.

“Let me handle this,” Tron murmured. Louder, he said, “We didn’t come here for trouble. We’re just passing through, that’s all.”

Beck took a defensive stance.

“You passed into our territory,” a taller man among the group drawled. “This street belongs to me, and you’ll pay for trespassing.” He pulled out his sword. So did the rest of his gang.

Tron and Beck faced away from each other in order to see all of their opponents.

The gang members rushed them, but as each member attacked, Tron easily sidestepped and parried with hard hits from his fists or the flat of his blade. He moved smoothly from defense to offense and attacked the gang members, rather than waiting for their moves.

Beck did the same, taking down one gang member with a hard kick to the head, and another with a punch. But when one faced him with a sword, he was forced to dodge and duck away.

The gang member swung, a strike that couldn’t be dodged - only parried.

Beck held up the wooden sword. The other sword cut almost all the way through, but stopped in the nick of time. Only luck had kept it from cutting Beck’s head open.

The gang approached Beck, seeing that he was unarmed.

Sounds like ripping paper and ringing steel rushed through Beck’s ears. He froze as time seemed to speed up around him. “What’s going on? Where am I?” he asked.  _ I’m being attacked - why? How? Who are these people? _

The gang leader crossed his arms. “Take him.”

As two of his lackeys walked up to Beck - _ what is my name? How do I get away- _ he looked up. 

Something - no, someone - descended from the rooftop in a blur of white silk.

The woman landed hard on top of his attacker, then leaped off and struck the other beside him with her foot. A third gang member took a hard elbow to the back of the neck. 

She flipped and jumped to land behind Beck, then threw a packet of something to the ground. Smoke billowed from it. Under that cover, she grabbed Beck’s arm. “Come on!”

Tron looked up and followed. “Beck!”

The gang members hurried to follow, but the leader stayed behind.

Tron and Beck climbed up a ladder behind the woman.

“I think I just had my first flash,” Beck said.

“We should keep moving,” Tron said.

“Oh. But I’m glad you care.”

Tron walked up to the woman. “Why’d you help us?” he asked.

She removed the thin cloak from her head, revealing thin features and short black hair. “Because you needed it.” She looked pointedly at Beck. “You’re welcome, by the way. I’m Lux.”

“Uh, I’m.. I’m Beck,” he said. “And this is… my friend.” Beck put his hand on Tron’s shoulder.

Tron tensed beneath his hand. “Huh?”

“What? I’m improvising,” Beck whispered back.

“I’ve seen people like you before, Beck,” Lux said.

“What do you mean?”

“Strays.”

“I’m not a stray yet,” Beck said.

“Well, it’s only a matter of time. But… I can help you. I know my way around Purgos.”

She leaped lightly off the roof.

Beck sighed. “If my memory’s going, at least the last thing I’ll remember will be her.”

“Focus, Beck.” Tron said, as he followed Beck after Lux.

Back in Argon at the stables, rain nearly blocked the sound of Mara’s voice.

“You still haven’t told me what this is for,” she said.

“Allow me to introduce my masterpiece,” Zed replied. He set a heavy object with several hinges down to his side, then whistled for a horse. “Eventually, we’ll put it in front of a saddle, but for our test, this will do.”

The horse followed a path around the paddock, and Zed aimed his strange weapon at it. The weapon unfolded and launched a net at the horse. Zed cheered as the horse stopped in its tracks. “It worked!”

In one of Purgos’ taverns, Lux sauntered back to where Beck and Tron were waiting.

“Okay, well, I checked with all of my contacts, and none of them have heard of any stolen swords or journals lately.”

“And Kobol’s a no-show,” Beck added.

Tron broke his previous silence. “Beck, there’s a man in the back who seems awfully interested in you. He’s been staring since we walked in.”

“I think that’s the man who conned me!” Beck glanced over.

“His name’s Galt, a small-time thief,” Lux said.

Several tipsy people passed in front of the table Galt sat alone at. When they were gone, so was he.

Beck and Tron raced after him through a small hallway at the back of the tavern. Galt struggled with a stuck door.

“Galt.” Beck said.

“No!” Galt exclaimed.

“I didn’t get your name last time,” Beck said scornfully, “when you were stealing my sword!”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Galt pressed himself against a door. “What sword?”

“Looks a lot like this one.” Tron said. He pulled his sword from his sheath and held it to Galt’s throat.

“Okay, I took it, but I don’t have it anymore. I swear!” Galt talked desperately.

“Who’d you give it to?”

“You think I’d tell you? He’s not as polite as you two. Everyone’s gonna know your secret, Rog-” Before Galt could finish, the point of a sword emerged from his chest. 

He gave one last strangled breath, and died.

The man behind him pulled his sword out from the corpse and mounted his horse.

Beck, Tron, and Lux ran out the door and called their own horses. The three followed hot on the heels of the man.

Beck drew up alongside the man and his horse reared, striking at the other rider’s steed.

“Beck!” Tron called.

Too late, Beck noticed he had followed the man into a semi-open building. He stumbled off his horse and led it through the building, despite the protests of the people within.

Beck mounted his horse again and raced after the man. He had nearly caught up to him again when noise assaulted his ears and the world shook.

“Beck, look out!” Lux called to him.

_ Who’s Beck? Why am I…. _ Beck couldn’t handle the sudden flash and fell off his horse.

Lux stopped beside him and dismounted her horse. Tron, still caught up in following Galt’s killer, took a while longer and had to turn back.

Lux ran her hands gently, soothingly, along Beck’s arm. Barely conscious, Beck’s mind was overloaded with questions -  _ who? What? Why? How? Where?  _

Zed inspected the netted horse.

“Wow,” Mara said. “That could do a lot of damage.”

“Isn’t it great?” Zed asked.

Mara frowned. “Oh, this is for your friends, Bartik and Hopper, isn’t it?”

Zed took a step back. “They’re on a taskforce to hunt the Rogue, I’m trying to join. I know you think the Rogue is helping, but he’s not. This could stop him.”

“Or worse,” Mara said. “Zed, this could kill him.”

“I’m,” Zed started. “I’m just trying to do the right thing.”

“I didn’t think you were like Bartik and Hopper, Zed,” Mara said. She turned away. “But, if joining their taskforce is what you want, best of luck.”

She walked back to the stables, skirting puddles and holding her umbrella.

“Nice place,” Beck said. He sat on a chair in a moderately large room. “How’d you get it?”

Lux smiled as she inspected him. “I have my ways.” She finished brushing him. “Without your diary, this is the best I can do.”

“Learn anything from Galt’s diary?” Beck asked.

“He was scum, which is hardly news,” Tron rumbled. “I did find the entry where he robbed you.” Tron held up the page, which had a sketch of Beck and a few paragraphs describing the encounter.

“Who’s that?” Beck asked. The sound echoed in his ears again, making it hard to think - or remember.

“Beck, it’s you,” Tron said, a bit softer.

“What am I doing there?”

“You are fighting a revolution.” The softness was gone.

Steel and paper and water rushed in Beck’s ears and mind. “What revolution?”

“Beck, stay with me,” Tron said.

The world tilted.  _ It’s too loud, all of it. _ “Who’s Beck? Who are you? Why are you hiding your face?”

“Beck!” Tron said, holding his hand out. Before Beck could react, Tron’s words became a grunt as Lux knocked him down.

“It’s okay, it’s okay,” Lux said reassuringly. She put her hand on his shoulder. “Everything will be clear soon. We’re here to help you.”

_ One person. Not many _ . “We?”

Footsteps from another room continued as their owner came into view. 

“I told you,” Kobol said. “Don’t trust anyone.” He stood over Tron and laughed.

Lux and Kobol brought Tron and Beck to a rooftop. She tried to look through the narrow slits on Tron’s visor, then attempted to move it. Both failed.

“His helmet won’t come off.”

“Forget that, he’s nothing. We have bigger things to worry about,” Kobol drawled. “See that light?” he asked Beck. “That’s where your friends are going to meet us.”

The light came from a bright fire atop a hill.

“We’re taking you back home,” Kobol said.

“Beck!” Tron said. “That is an emergency beacon to summon the military! They’re turning you in to the Occupation!”

“I’m part of the military,” Beck said uncertainly. “Kobol told me.”

“Beck, no! He is lying to you!”

“Don’t listen to him,” Lux said. She walked up to Beck. “You’re an officer in Tesler’s army. You just lost your memory. If you go back with Kobol, you’ll get it back.” She ran her hand along his cheek.

“No. She’s lying to you, Beck. They both are,” Tron said urgently.

“Enough,” Kobol said. He pulled out his sword.

“If you murder him, you could lose Beck’s trust,” Lux said, her hand on Kobol’s arm.

“How dare you question me,” Kobol said. He grabbed her arm roughly. “Watch him until I get back.”

“Lux, you have to let me go,” Tron rumbled, a note of fear in his voice. “Kobol’s taking Beck to be executed.”

“No,” Lux said. “Recruited. My job was to follow you until Beck forgot who he was. Then he’d be… easier to take. And it worked.” She sat down on a crate.

“Free me,” Tron said. “Your own life is in danger. Kobol killed Galt. He almost killed me.” His voice grew scratchier and louder. “Soon it will be your turn.”

“Uh uh,” Lux said. “No, you’re wrong. Kobol would never hurt me. He loves me.” She walked up to Tron.

“Who is it you’re trying to convince?” he asked.

Lux stood and pulled out a dagger.

“This thing better be lethal,” Bartik said. “We stuck our necks out for you.”

“It’s a killer, all right,” Zed said.

“Sorry, I’m late,” Mara interrupted, walking in with a soldier.

“What is she doing here?”

“This girl claims she’s assisting the demonstration,” the soldier said.

“She just did,” Zed said, staring at her. “I’m really glad you’re here, Mara.”

“I’m on a tight schedule, so let’s cut to the chase,” Lady Paige said as she and her escort entered. “You brought me here for a new saddle design?”

“A weapon, actually, umm…” Zed looked at Mara. “I have to make one, quick adjustment first.”

He pulled back, hard, on the weapon’s lever, and it splintered. Pieces of wood flew everywhere, and the machine was ruined.

Bartik and Hopper coughed.

“Oops,” Zed said brightly. “Guess it still needs work..”

“You’re a joke,” Paige said. “And you two. Whose idea was it to waste my time on this imbecile?”

“All Hopper,” Bartik said.

“Hopper!”

“Yes.”

“No, not Hopper!”

As they argued, Mara and Zed walked away. 

“Thanks,” Mara said. “That was a real blast.”

Zed threw the armband behind his back.

“There they are, Beck,” Kobol said. “You’ll be home soon.”

“Back away from him, Kobol.” Tron held his sword out.

“Is this the sword you were looking for?” Kobol lunged at Tron with two swords, his own and Beck’s.

He ran forward and slashed out with both swords. 

Tron stepped back and switched his sword to his left hand. He swung twice, two compact strokes that would have decapitated Kobol if he hadn’t dodged.

Kobol threw a knife at Tron that Tron easily batted away with his sword.

Lux watched nervously as Kobol knocked Tron to the ground and held Beck’s sword to his neck. Tron pushed Kobol off, and Kobol released Beck’s sword.

But Kobol had a trick up his sleeve. He pulled out a long quarterstaff. Even with the improved reach that weapon gave Kobol, Tron was still able to find leverage and knock him back.

“Who are you?” Kobol asked.

Tron stood over him, sword in hand. But the sight of another quarterstaff stopped him. Beck had walked over to the two combatants and held a quarterstaff to Tron’s head.

“Kill him! He’s the enemy,” Kobol ordered.

Beck held the quarterstaff ready, looking between Kobol and Tron.  _ Kobol said I’m an officer. This man said he’s lying. Who do I trust? Do I trust myself? _ The world shook again.

“Do it! I command you,” Kobol said.

“I know you’re still there, Beck. The memory loss hasn’t taken all of you,” Tron said. “Killing is not your way.”

Unbelievably, he removed his helmet and revealed his face.

“Tron,” Kobol said. He dropped his sword.

Lux watched from a distance. “Tron lives,” she exclaimed quietly.

“Beck, this is about more than just the uprising. You’re my friend.” He looked up at Beck.

_ Friend. Enemy? Friend. Enemy? Tron. _ Beck’s eyes widened.

“I didn’t say it before because I didn’t think I could,” Tron continued. “But that was wrong of me. We are friends. Be who you are. You don’t need your memories for that.”

“What are you doing? You work for Tesler,” Kobol exclaimed frantically.

“I’m not a killer,” Beck said. “I don’t murder people.”

“Well too bad,” Kobol said, picking up his sword. “Because I do.”

He swung his sword at Beck, who backed away from it. 

“I thought I had something with the Rogue,” Kobol said. “But now I’ve got Tron!”

Kobol continued to attack. 

Beck stumbled away, hands to his ears.  _ It’s too loud, all of it. Tron. Tron. Tron. I’m not a killer. Tron. Friend. _

As Kobol lunged again, Tron stood up and pulled something from Kobol’s pocket. He threw it to Beck. “Beck, your diary!”

Beck caught it. As it touched his fingers, he felt - complete. The world stopped shaking. His memories reattached themselves, and the barrage of noises stopped.

“Guess what?” he asked. “I’m back.”

Kobol kicked Tron to the ground. Beck ran at Kobol and kneed him hard in the face, taking him down.

Beck picked up his sword and ran to Tron. He helped his mentor - his friend, up. “We should go.”

“We can’t just leave Kobol here. He knows your identity.”

“Then we bring him with us.”

“Bring me where, Rogue?” Kobol said. As Beck tugged at his arm, Kobol laughed. A dragon was descending on the roof.

A dagger flew through the air and found its mark in Kobol’s chest.

He screamed, and fell silent, blood pooling on the ground around him.

Lux jumped over to Tron and Beck. “You, being alive changes everything. I.. If I had only known earlier,” she said.

Tron groaned and buckled over. Beck supported him on his shoulder.

“Look, we can’t let them get to you,” Lux said. “Take Kobol’s sword. Destroy it. I’ll hold them off.”

She ran over to the dragon.

“Her dagger,” Beck realized. She’d handed it to him along with Kobol’s weapon. “No!”

“She wants us to escape, Beck,” Tron said.

“No! Lux!” Beck screamed.

Lux was already running to the soldiers, using the quarterstaff and fighting. Tron stepped back, gently guiding Beck away. Beck still screamed.

As the soldiers held Lux down, she looked gratefully over at Tron.

One of the soldiers thrust his quarterstaff at her, and she fell to the ground.

Beck screamed her name one last time.

Later, in the Outlands, Tron had found a quiet pond to bury Lux’s dagger. 

“She sacrificed herself to save us,” Tron said. “That’s who Lux really was. A hero.”

He threw her dagger into the pool, sending a cascade of sparkling ripples out from the spot it landed.

“She also became a friend,” Beck said. “I remember what you said to me back there. Got a little emotional, huh? Don’t worry, I won’t hold it against you.”

“A long time ago, I misjudged someone,” Tron said.

“Clu?” Beck asked.

“I let friendship cloud judgement… and paid a... heavy price.” Tron continued. “But I didn’t misjudge you, Beck. With you, I chose well.”

Beck looked at him.

In the pond, Lux’s dagger shimmered with the white light of day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter had a lot of stuff to rework in order to fit it into fantasy.  
> Not really about the chapter but I came up with some more fic ideas for post-Legacy... they'll be posted if I ever finish them.


	6. Isolated

“Tesler’s base. A heavily guarded, impenetrable fortress of death,” Tron said. “There are over 20,000 soldiers on constant patrol who will not hesitate to kill you if they see you. So make sure they don’t see you.”

“Stealth. Now that I can do.”

“You’ll need to be quick. The plans you’re after will give us critical advantage over the occupation.”

“Don’t worry, they won’t even know I’m there.”

Beck edged his way along the walls built atop Tesler’s fortress creature. He crawled through the yellow-lit corridors and opened a cabinet where a book bound in yellow leather lay.

Meanwhile, Lady Paige walked through her quarters in the fortress. She picked up a thin book in red and black, then paused. In the same cabinet was a small harpsichord. Paige tapped its strings and played a short melody, then picked up the parchment tucked beneath it.

On it was a sketch of three people, Paige, a man, and another woman. As if it had only been the day before, Paige heard a voice from the past.

“Paige, Rox, hurry up. I want to commemorate this, our grand opening,” the man had said. He put a few more strokes on the paper, then said. “Okay, it’s all set.”

“Wait!” Paige said. She pointed near the top of the parchment. “You forgot the sign!” She gestured to a newly painted board attached above the door.

“Paige, come on,” Rox called.

“Okay, okay, okay,” Paige said.

An alarm blared, startling Paige from her memory. She ran from the room, the parchment forgotten on the floor.

Beck ran through the maze of red.

“The book he stole contains the locations of all of our keys. He can unlock every room in the base!” General Tesler exclaimed.

“He won’t get away, sir,” Lieutenant Pavel said.

“Make sure of it.”

As Beck ran through the base, the guards closed doors, but they were too slow - he’d already exited the base and jumped onto his wyvern. Close behind him, Lady Paige mounted an eagle and pursued.

“An eagle?” Beck scoffed. “You’ll never catch me on that.”

Behind Paige’s mount were more flying creatures - red-marked wyverns.

“Wyverns, on the other hand…”

The Occupation wyverns blew flames upon their riders’ command. Beck’s wyvern wheeled and circled in a steep bank.

Beck grunted and clung tightly to his wyvern’s scales as it looped through the air. The wind tugged at his armor.  Before his wyvern could recover and fly straight again, Paige and her eagle flew at him with claws raised.

She loosed arrows at him. “Give up already!” she said.

Beck swooped away then returned, and his wyvern flamed at Paige and her mount.  Paige’s eagle circled, and she loosed more arrows at Beck.  Some of the arrows hit and lodged in the scales of his wyvern.

“Gotcha!” Paige exclaimed.

But as she celebrated, her eagle flew into a ribbon of flame left by Beck’s wyvern. Tail feathers singed, it began to lose control and fall.  Beck’s injured wyvern also fell. It stretched its wings to capacity, but lost altitude quickly. His foot stuck between two of the larger scales on its ridges.

“Come on, come on,” Beck muttered. “Now would be a good time to let me off!”

He managed to pull his foot free and jump off, just in time to avoid being crushed by the wyvern as it fell onto a small, rocky island.

Beck pulled out his canvas glider wings and landed in an awkward tumble.

The Occupation wyverns’ wingbeats grew closer.

He rushed to hide within a crevice between some of the rocks.

Pavel, atop one of the wyverns, inspected the island. He saw Beck’s wyvern, gravely injured, on the rocks.

“The end of the Rogue,” he said. “I wonder how General Tesler will ever be able to thank me.”

Down on the sand, Paige had managed to bring her eagle to a somewhat safe landing. She crawled off it, one hand pressed to her head.

“Pavel, over here,” she called.

“Ooh, not enough room on this wyvern for two,” Pavel said. “Have a nice swim, Paige!”

“What are you doing? Come back!” Paige cried. “Pavel! Wait! Wait!”

“Hey, wait up!” Paige called. “Sorry I’m late, I was just -”

“Practicing your music,” the two others finished with her. “Yeah, we know.”

“Laugh all you want, but I think I’m actually getting better,” she said.

“Listen Paige, you’re a great medic, but you’re not-”

“Trained for music. I know.”

“You should really just stick to your training,” her sister said.

“Trust us, you’ll be better off,” her brother said. “I mean, isn’t medicine-”

He was cut off by a scream echoing through the streets.

Paige ran in the direction the scream had come from. Three men with swords ready stood over a pair of young women, backed against a wall.

“Leave us alone,” the girl who was still standing said. Her short black hair, cut at an unusual angle, gave no handhold for her attackers. She stood protectively between her companion and the men.

The men laughed.

Paige crept up behind them and pulled out her sword. She swung it, and the standing girl flinched. But Paige wasn’t attacking the girl. She kicked and hit at the men, eventually knocking them out.

The girl stood. “Nice.”

One of the attackers had faked it. He stood up and swung at Paige, but the girl grabbed him by the arm and threw him into a wall.

“Nice,” Paige echoed.

In the hospital, Paige and the girl sat on a bench near the other girl’s bed.

“Will she be all right?” the girl asked.

“Some of her wounds were pretty nasty, but she'll make it,” Paige answered.

“Guess we made easy targets,” the girl said.

Paige inspected the conscious girl’s wounds. “Your wounds are clotting so fast,” she said. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment,” the girl said. “Times have been hard, ever since the war.”

“Are you soldiers?” Paige asked.

“Refugees,” the girl said. “Our home city became a target of the purge when some Sidhe were discovered there. We barely made it out alive.”

“It must have been terrifying having Sidhe in your own city,” Paige said.

“I’ve heard they’re insane,” her coworker added, “that they can even kill people with their bare hands.”

“I’m pretty sure that’s just a rumor,” the girl said hesitantly.

“His Majesty Flynn himself couldn’t fix this mess,” Beck said. He looked out at the injured wyvern.

The rocks crumbled beneath the weight of the wyvern and the wyvern fell deeper into the island. 

“Whoa.”

He ran further into the island and stood on an outcropping. Another pillar of stone crumbled and fell.

Paige grunted as she smacked one of the rocks trapping her eagle with her sword. Finally, it gave in, and she dragged it out of her way.  But she was already exhausted from chasing Beck. She fell to her hands and knees.  Beck noticed her efforts. He pulled his helmet on and shouted, “Hey!”

“Huh. You’re a hard man to kill,” Paige said. “But you know what? I like a challenge.”

She ran and threw a knife at Beck. He jumped over the low throw, then landed lightly.

“We’ve got a problem,” he said.

Paige kicked him to the ground. “No. You’ve got a problem.”

He got up and backed away, but Paige was already punching him.

“Hold on! I’ve gotta show you something.”

He blocked her punches and twisted her sword away from him.

“You think I’m that gullible?” she asked. She kicked him hard and knocked him to the ground again. The book he’d stolen fell out of his pack. 

“You probably thought I forgot about this.” Paige picked it up.

The ground rumbled, and Paige lost her footing on the rocks. She stumbled off the edge and grabbed on with one hand.

“Now will you listen?” Beck said. He bent down to help her up. “Will you just stop? Look what’s happening.” He pointed to another crumbling rock across the island.

“It’s disintegrating,” Paige said.

“The shock of our crash was too much for the island. It’s collapsing, and we have no way to stop it,” Beck said. “Pretty soon the whole island is going to fall apart. Still want to keep fighting?” He held his hand out to her.

“Absolutely,” she said, not accepting it. “But I guess it’ll have to wait. She took his hand and he helped her up.

“No way that’ll ever fly again,” he said, looking at her eagle’s broken wings.

“It doesn’t have to fly, just swim.”

“Look around. There’s no armies out here, no soldiers,” Beck said. “Just us. If we wanna live, we have to work together.”

“I am the army, and I’m getting off this rock. Alone.” Paige ran off to the eagle.

She led it to the water and mounted it, then attempted to paddle off.

The effort was too much for the eagle. It sank into the inky-black waters, and Paige was forced to swim back to the island.  She coughed up seawater as she crawled onto the sand, but it gave way and she narrowly avoided falling into a newly-formed pit.

Beck stood over her. “Still don’t think you need my help?”

She looked up at him.

Several more pillars fell back into the water and crumbled.

“The water’s going to get even rougher as more of the island breaks up. I might be able to use the pieces from your saddlebags and attach them to my wyvern to make it easier to swim back.” Beck watched Paige sitting on one of the rocks.

“Don’t you need to be a stable worker to do something like that?”

“How hard could it be?” Beck asked.  _ I  _ _ am _ _ a stable worker. _

“It could be impossible,” Paige scoffed.

“Look. I can’t do this alone, and neither can you. And if we don’t work fast, we’ll drown,” he said, pacing around her.

“At least I’ll have the satisfaction of seeing the end of the Rogue,” Paige said.

“You really wanna die here?”

Paige looked away, at another collapsing pillar.

“We can do this. Trust me,” Beck said.

A slice in his armor revealed a small, but ugly wound. “You’re injured.”

“It’s nothing.”

“Without treatment, you could lose the arm,” Paige persisted. “I can bandage it up.”

She grabbed his arm.

Beck looked at the point of contact.  _ Her hands are gentler than I expected. _

“I’m only doing this because I need your help,” she said.

“So, we are agreeing to a truce?”

“A  _ temporary  _ truce.” She pulled a strip of white cloth from her belt.

“You’re not gonna try to strangle me?” Beck stopped her hand. “I have your word as a soldier?”

“You have my word.” She pulled her hand away and gently wrapped his wound. The bandage kept pressure on it and slowed the bleeding.

“Where did you learn how to do that?” Beck asked.

“All soldiers learn how to treat battle injuries. It’s part of our training.”

“Huh. Feels good as new.” He inspected the bandage approvingly.

Paige plucked at the strings of her harpsichord, playing a melody for Quorra and her recovering friend.

“It’s beautiful,” Quorra said.

“Ah, it’s… it’s really simple,” Paige said. She stopped playing. “It’s just something I made up. I wasn’t trained for music.”

“You could have fooled me,” Ada said.

“Well, you’re obviously capable of learning things you haven’t been trained for,” Quorra said.

“Your playing proves it,” her friend added.

Paige scoffed gently. “It’s not very hard.”

“I’m sure you could learn anything you put your mind to,” Quorra said.

“Like, how to take someone down in a single move, like you did?”

Quorra looked at Ada. “Why not? The key is to use your opponent’s momentum against him.” She walked over to Paige. “Punch me.”

Paige wound up and threw a punch, but Quorra grabbed her arm and flipped her over her head.

“Wow. That’s amazing,” Paige said, once she’d recovered from the shock.

Ada looked over, worried.

“Let me show you again. Slowly. Then you can try it.” Quorra moved into position again.

Her friend waved at her and pointed to her own sleeve.

Quorra looked at her sleeve, unconcerned - but it had hiked up, revealing a small white flower tattooed near her shoulder.

“Oh, no,” Paige said. “You’re a Sidhe!”

“Paige,” the fey girl said.

“That’s why your blood clotted so fast. Why didn’t you tell me?” Paige shouted.

“She’ll alert the patrols,” Ada said crisply. “We can’t allow that.”

Paige growled and knocked her harpsichord off the table.

“You have to believe me, Paige. We’re not dangerous. We just wanna live in peace,” Quorra said. “Everything in the kingdom, including you and your friends, was created by Flynn, except for us. We’re free. It’s the only reason we’re being hunted.”

Paige looked at her uncertainly.

“Please. Don’t say anything to anyone,” the Sidhe said. “I can trust you, can’t I?”

Out on the streets, Paige and her friends were talking.

“Something on your mind? You’ve been awfully quiet.”

“I’m just… tired, that’s all,” Paige said.

“How are Quorra and her friend?” her friend asked.

“They’re leaving, thankfully.”

“I thought you liked them.”

“I did too, but they aren’t who I thought they were,” Paige said fiercely.

“You mean, they’re not refugees? Who are they? Why are they hiding?”

“Look, I can’t talk about it.”

“Paige?” Her friend said. Paige didn’t turn. “Paige.”

“Ada and I are leaving now,” Quorra said. She looked at the harpsichord Paige was carrying. “I’m sorry I won’t get to hear you play again.”

An alarm gong sounded in the city. A crier in the streets shouted, “A Sidhe contamination has been reported! Please prepare to be questioned.”

Quorra threw Paige against the wall.

As her vision grew blurry, Paige struggled to get up, but failed.

“Sorry, Paige,” the fey girl said.

“Quorra, why? Now she’ll never trust the Sidhe.”

“Yeah,” Quorra said. “But at least she’ll be alive.”

Paige blacked out.

The crackling noise of another pillar crashing to pieces woke Paige from her daze. She jumped up and pulled out her sword.

“Not bad, if I say so myself,” Beck said.

“Assuming it works.”

“The wyvern’s exhausted. I don’t have any food for it,” Beck said.

Paige’s stomach turned, but she looked at the corpse of her eagle. “My eagle isn’t much more than a meal now.”

Beck dragged the dead eagle over to the wyvern, which feasted happily on it. “Supposing we make it back to Argon together, then what?”

“You either give yourself up or I execute you, your choice,” Paige said.

“Hmm. Some choice,” Beck said. “Hand me the saddle, I need to make sure I can tie it on.”

“What, do I work for you now?” Paige laughed.

The ground rumbled. The pillar beneath Paige shook violently.

“Paige, look out!” Beck called.

Too late. Paige was falling into the space the shattering pillar had occupied.

“Paige, hang on,” Beck ordered.

She grabbed ahold of a ledge in the rock.

“On your feet, medic,” a guard said.

The two guards who had found Paige gently picked her up.

She startled and threw one aside, then hurled the next into a window. Paige turned, only to see the face of General Tesler behind her. She gasped.

Tesler pushed her up against the wall.

“What’s going on?”

“I’m looking for two fugitive Sidhe. You’re gonna tell me where they are,” he said,

“I don’t know.”

“How did you end up here?” General Tesler held his sword out.

“The one called Quorra did this to me,” Paige spat. “I gave her medical aid, and this is how she thanked me.”

“The Sidhe are crooked, dangerous creatures,” Tesler said. “And it seems we found you just in time.”

Paige coughed.

“Unfortunately, we couldn’t save the others,” General Tesler said.

“What others? What did they do?” Paige asked.

“The Sidhe murdered them, took everything of value, then fled,” Tesler said as he led her through the halls of the hospital. The floors and walls were streaked with blood, much more than even a small army of wounded soldiers would have lost. “You were obviously tricked into helping the wrong side in this conflict.”  Paige knelt on the ground and picked up the sketch of her and her friends.

“Now that you understand that, I’m willing to give you a chance to join the right side, and make the Sidhe pay for what they’ve done,” General Tesler continued. “Under my command.”

“How soon can I start?” Paige asked, voice filled with rage.

“What are you doing?” Paige said, as Beck dashed away from the edge. “Come back! Ugh!! I should have killed him when I had the chance.”

Beck shoved one more mouthful into the wyvern. “Hang on, Paige.”

The wyvern growled and spat at him. 

“What? Come on. Come on.” He gently smacked the wyvern on the neck.

It purred and bent down for him. He climbed on and it ran across the rock. Paige could hear the noise as the wyvern’s claws clacked on the rock.

“There!” General Tesler said from atop another eagle. He pointed at Paige.

The rock Paige was holding onto crumbled, and she fell into the water.  
Beck dove off the wyvern and swam after her desperately. She sunk, nearly motionless, through the water. _This armor’s not made for swimming,_ Beck thought. He strained to catch her, but instead, General Tesler’s eagle grabbed her in its claws and ascended. 

Beck climbed back onto the wyvern and took off his helmet.

“I hope some day you realize, I’m one of the good guys,” he said to Paige, though she was too far off to hear him.

Paige ruffled her hair, trying to get dry.

“I told you, Pavel, never underestimate our dear Paige,” Tesler said.

“We’re so glad you’re safe,” Pavel said insincerely.

“We?” Paige asked. “I doubt that.”

“And after all that, I didn’t even make it back with the book,” Beck told Tron.

“We’ll have other chances to get our hands on Tesler’s plans,” Tron said. “But I’m impressed that you risked your life to try to save an enemy.”

“I thought she was starting to trust me,” Beck said defensively. “Besides, I gave her my word.”

Tron put his hand on Beck’s shoulder. “You did the right thing, Beck.”

He turned and walked away.

Tesler tapped his fingers against the book. “So the Rogue’s evaded capture, again.”

“Yes. I was a fool to trust him,” Paige said. “He betrayed me. Just like the Sidhe.”

“But thanks to your efforts, he didn’t get away with this,” Tesler said, fingering the book.

“Your training served me well,” Paige said. “On the island, I thought a lot about how I first met you. How fortunate I am to serve you.”

“All things considered, you’ve done well today.”

“Thank you, sir.”

“I knew when we first met how capable you are. Even after the Sidhe betrayed you so cruelly, you showed amazing strength.”

“I find strength in knowing that you would never betray me, sir,” Paige said.

Tesler smiled.

Years before, he had ridden a dragon into Paige’s old city. He had spoken with her friends, the medics.

“And you say her name was Quorra?” Tesler had asked.

“She and her friend were treated right here.”

“They just left a few hours ago.”

“You’ve done the right thing,” Tesler announced. He turned to his soldiers. “Tear this place apart. Erase any trace of their presence, and round up every person who’s had exposure to the Sidhe and have them executed, immediately.”

“What?” Paige’s friend exclaimed.

“Collaborating with traitors must be punished, as an example to anyone else who might consider helping them. I’m afraid that includes you.”

“But we helped you!”

Tesler smirked and walked away. His soldiers moved in for the kill.

“But we helped you!” the man repeated.

“Please!”

He didn’t even flinch at the two medics’ final screams of agony.

“I would never betray you, Paige,” he told her. “I know all too well what you’re capable of.”

Paige bowed and walked away.

In her room, later, she picked up her harpsichord and began to play, then stopped. The memories were too painful.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have an outside perspective beta-reading and then watching each episode with me, which is fun - and also very helpful!


	7. Price of Power

A small sailing ship cut through the waves on its way to Argon. Within it, four Occupation soldiers guarded an iron vault with another four guards and another man inside. The man looked out the small grated window and sighed.

“I create for Tesler an amulet of unimaginable power, and he gives me eight guards,” the man said.

“These sailing ships are the safest way into Argon,” one of his guards said.

“Great,” he said sarcastically. “I feel better already.” He clutched the iron box he was holding closer to himself.

“That’s the weapon?” one of the guards asked.

“No, this is a box,” he said. He pried the lid partially open. “What’s inside the box, that’s what’s important.”

Suddenly, the rocking motion of the boat stopped. The guards within the vault looked around uncertainly. The guards outside the vault were unconscious.

Beck, in his Rogue armor from Tron, peered through the small window. Then he pulled out his sword and cut open the door.

“The Rogue!” the man exclaimed.

“You missed your stop, Shaw. Grab your bags. We’re getting off,” Beck ordered.

The four guards from within the vault flanked Shaw.

“Looks like you got on the wrong ship.”

One of the guards approached Beck. He put away his sword, pushed the soldier aside with his shoulder, and knocked him out with a punch. Beck elbowed the second soldier and kicked the third one.

While Beck was distracted, Shaw ran out of the vault, clutching the iron box.

Beck noticed and moved to block him. “You’re an alchemist, Shaw, not a murderer. You can help people, instead of helping to destroy them.”

“I can’t help these people any more than you can,” Shaw said. He opened the box and put a necklace with a large stone, clear with tracings of glowing red, around his neck.

The moment it touched his skin, Shaw roared and a small surge of magic emanated around him.

“That’s new,” Beck said. He pulled out his sword and thrust it into the deck, cracking the timbers.

“Nice,” Shaw replied. He ran along the railing of the ship’s deck, then kicked Beck’s head.

Beck flew back, dazed, into the mast of the ship.

Shaw pulled him to the edge and tossed him over it.

As Beck began to wake up, he hit the water and struggled to stay afloat in the waves. He pulled out his whistle and blew, and one of his wyverns flew over to pick him up. They circled for a moment, then Beck jumped off and the wyvern blew fire over the main deck of the ship.

Beck stood in front of Shaw once again. Shaw growled and pulled out a dagger, but Beck tossed him over his shoulder and nearly off the boat.

Before Shaw could go overboard, Beck grabbed the handle of his dagger.

“I’ve got you,” he said, and used his other hand to grab Shaw’s coat. His fingers found the thin silver chain of the amulet. “Give me your other hand.”

“The amulet, it’s mine,” Shaw grunted. He didn’t seem to hear Beck’s order.

“I’m trying to help you, Shaw,” Beck said. “I can’t hold on.” He pulled the amulet away and set it down on the deck.

Shaw continued to struggle. “Give it to me! I need it!”

Instead of accepting Beck’s help, Shaw smacked Beck’s hand with the flat of his dagger. Beck let go involuntarily, and Shaw fell into the hungry waves.

Beck stared after him.  _ He’d rather die than be separated from it… why? _

Back at the stables, Zed was crouched down, examining one of the horses’ underbelly.

The horse stamped the ground nervously, and nearly struck Zed with its hoof.

“Ooh, careful, Zed,” Bartik said. “Those things can be dangerous.”

Hopper laughed.

“Can I help you with something?” Zed asked, annoyed. “I’m kind of busy, and-”

Bartik opened the stall door, and the horse started on its way out.

“Hey!” Zed exclaimed. He grabbed the horse’s mane.

“Not anymore,” Bartik said.

“Well, we’ve got direct orders from Lady Paige to be here, so if I were you, I’d cooperate.”

“Cooperate with what?” Mara asked. She walked up to the men and stood defiantly.

“Tesler’s expecting his new war elephant to be ready at the end of the week,” Hopper said. “And we’re here to make sure your pretty little hands work as fast as they can.”

“My pretty little fists work even faster, if you want me to demonstrate…” Mara said. She raised both of her work-toughened hands.

“Zed. Mara.” Able said. “Is there a problem?”

“Yeah, two of them. But they were just leaving,” Mara said.

“What she said!”

“Oh, well, good. Lots of work to be done,” Able said, looking at the two conscripts. “No time to stand around chatting.”

“We’ll be back,” Hopper said. “And that elephant had better be ready. Otherwise, there really will be a problem.”

“What he said,” Bartik added, mocking Zed.

They strolled off, laughing.

“Here, let me help you,” Mara offered to help move the horse back into its stall.

“I got it,” Zed said shortly. He did it on his own.

The final soldier who had been guarding Shaw reported to Tesler within the fortress. “The Rogue killed the alchemist and made off with the amulet, sir.”

“And you just let him escape?” Tesler raised a bushy eyebrow.

“Your general just asked you a question,” Pavel told the soldier with mock kindness. “Answer him.”

Before the soldier could reply, Tesler threw his arm forward, and the arm extension, hot as molten metal, pierced the soldier’s body, grabbed his sword, and retracted. Pavel and Paige stood, horrified, as the soldier collapsed.

“I accept your resignation,” Tesler said.

“General, I’ll take the lead on this,” Paige said.

“Do whatever you have to do, but bring me that amulet!” Tesler threw down the dead soldier’s sword.   
  


“A massive enhancement to strength and agility,” Tron said, as he inspected the amulet. Its red inclusions twinkled. “If this amulet had found its way to Tesler, his forces would have been insurmountable.”

“So, I-I did good?” Beck asked.

“What about the alchemist?” Tron said angrily. “The idea was to bring him in alive!”

“He attacked me. I tried to save him, but I couldn’t,” Beck said.

“Then this is all that remains of his ideas,” Tron said. “If Tesler believes this was destroyed, it should buy us some time.”

“To do what?”

“Destroy it.”

“How do we do that?”

“Do you know of any easily-accessible mountain dragons?”

“If only we knew someone who worked at a stable,” Beck said sarcastically. “Oh, wait. I work at a stable.”

Tron looked back at him and offered him the chain. “This amulet is far more dangerous than you know, Beck. Destroy it immediately.”

Beck held out his hand to take it.

“I’m serious,” Tron said.

“When are you ever not serious?” Beck asked. He reached out and took the amulet. “Don’t worry. I’ll take care of it. I promise.”

Tron watched, worried, as Beck left.

As Beck rode through Argon, he noticed thick smoke coming from one of the buildings.

“Looks like trouble.”

His horse reared and they galloped over to the source.

A muttering crowd stood around the scene, where several ruined wagons lay in the street.

Muffled voices calling for help came from inside the wagons.

“Don’t worry, I’ll get you out,” Beck said. He pulled out his sword and cut the canvas covering the wagon. “Come on, let’s go.”

Instead of helpless workers, inside of the wagon was a squadron of soldiers.

“On second thought, I’ll go.” Beck backflipped and vaulted up to the top of the wagon. Before he could go further, Paige slammed into him with a kick. He fell to the ground and dropped the amulet.

He spotted it and picked it up. As the soldiers closed in, Beck slipped the chain over his neck.

Hot blood pounded in his ears, and his muscles grew taut with the fiery energy of the amulet. Beck gave a loud yell as the magic surged and launched the soldiers off him.

Paige turned away as the soldiers stood a safe distance from Beck.

_ So this is what power feels like.  _ “All right, who’s next?”

He turned to one soldier and rushed him in a speedy succession of flips and kicks. The soldier went down.

The two soldiers who faced him next were no harder. He fended off both their blows with his gauntleted hands. Though the magic burned hot within him, he barely thought of being careful. Then he kicked the feet out from under one and knocked the other out with a kick to the head.

Beck took down three more soldiers with more kicks, then punched and kicked another four. They hit the wagon and groaned.

An eagle’s wingbeats approached.

“You have something that belongs to me,” Lady Paige called out.

“You want it?” Beck asked. “Come get it!”  
“I was hoping you’d say that.” Paige loosed arrows at Beck, and he ran from her. As they passed through an area with larger buildings, Beck clung to the side of one, jumped to hold an extended pole, then landed on the opposite side of the eagle.

Paige tried to wheel the eagle around, but it was clumsy in the restricted space. She grunted in pain as it brushed her against a wall.

Beck jumped onto a working wagon and was carried away. His eyes glowed red with the amulet’s power.

“Time’s up, Zed,” Hopper said. “Where’s the elephant?”

“Able’s working with it. You know, final steps?” Zed backed away.

“We need it now.”

“That’s great, but last I checked, we don’t work for you,” Zed said.

“Wrong again, Zed, because we’re here as representatives of Tesler’s army.”

“That’s funny.” Beck walked in, still sweating, but wearing his tunic and pants instead of armor. “I don’t see any Tesler. And I certainly don’t see any army.”

“Beck. I can handle this,” Zed said. He looked nervously at his friend.

“If I were you, I’d leave, before things get embarrassing,” Beck continued.

“You know what’s embarrassing?” Hopper asked. “How fast you’re going to hit the ground. Two of us, versus one of you.”  
“Wow, Hopper,” Beck taunted. “I had no idea you could count that high.”

Hopper threw a punch, but Beck caught his fist. He chuckled and twisted his hand, throwing Hopper to the ground.

He pulled out his sword and held it over Hopper’s head. “You’re right. That was embarrassing.”

“Beck, don’t!” Mara pleaded. “What is wrong with you? You could have seriously hurt them.”

Bartik helped Hopper up.

“Just wait until Tesler hears about this,” Hopper said, nearly in tears.

“Gee, thanks a lot, Beck,” Zed said.

“What’s your problem?”

“You should have let me handle it! Instead, you made me look like a coward in front of Mara.”

“I didn’t make you look like anything,” Beck said. He approached Zed. “And if you don’t want people to think you’re a coward, then stop acting like one!” He pushed Zed back.

Zed stood there, bewildered, as Beck walked off.

_ Why did I do that? I know he can handle it. I didn’t need to say any of that, _ Beck thought.  _ But it was fun, _ another part of him said.

“The training’s done, and it’s good to go,” one of the other stablehands said.

“So long as General Tesler’s pleased, I’m pleased,” Able said. “I’ll be more pleased once it’s at his fortress. Deliver it.” He slapped the elephant’s flank.

“Tesler’s fortress,” Beck murmured.  _ Now I might be able to take them on. _

As the elephant’s footsteps shook the ground, soldiers led it up to the fortress. Beck sat, hidden, in the shelter atop it.

Once the elephant had entered the fortress, Beck jumped down. Tesler and Pavel stood ready to receive the delivery.

“I see my elephant has arrived,” Tesler said. “Assemble a team for inspection.”

“Right away, sir,” Pavel said.

“Wanna know what I see?” Beck said.

Startled, Tesler whirled and looked for the source of his voice.

Beck stepped out of the shadows, the red lighting playing on his bright silver armor. “I see a coward… hiding behind minions and lackeys.” The amulet’s magic lit up orange around him.

“I’m not the one dressing up, hiding behind the memory of a dead hero,” Tesler said. His arms lit up with the molten glow of the hand extensions.

He threw a long punch, and Beck deflected it with his sword. Tesler’s second hand extended, but Beck jumped up and flipped over it. Once he was close enough, Beck blocked Tesler’s punches with his hands, then kicked at him and punched him three times. He directed another at Tesler’s magical hand extensions.

Tesler backed up, then thrust his hands into the platform Beck was on and threw it. Beck scrambled back, then ran forward and jumped over the gap.

“Looks like you crawled into the wrong fortress,” Tesler said.

“Yeah, I get that a lot.”

Tesler loosed arrows at Beck from a turret, but Beck was too quick. He dodged them and threw a dagger that destroyed Tesler’s crossbow.

“You’re gonna have to do better than that,” Beck said.

Down on the lower floor, where the war elephant sat patiently, Beck spotted a figure in black and blue.

“Tron?” Able said.

“Able,” Beck said quietly.

Tesler thrust his hand extensions forward, and Beck went into a tight backflip, landing safely out of the way. Beck ran to reach Able, but one of Tesler’s hands turned and pushed him off the bridge. Beck clung to the edge and climbed back up as Tesler’s hands followed him.

He jumped up and over one as the other reached for his head. The hand rose and forced Beck back. He jumped away, but landed directly beside Tesler. Tesler retracted one arm and threw it out at Beck again. Instead of hitting him, Tesler grabbed onto something across the room and grappled away, laughing.

Beck looked around. A small explosive lay on the ground, and its fuse had burned low.

“Great.” He ran away and jumped onto another tower, before the bomb exploded.

The shockwave even knocked one of the dragons flying by off course, but Beck stood, barely shaken.

He climbed down. “Able!”

Able lay still on the ground.

“Seal the gate,” Tesler ordered, but Beck had already picked up Able and mounted his horse.

They rode out of the fortress. Able was still unconscious, and he had wounds on his face and shoulder from the blast.

“Finally,” one of the stablehands said. “I thought this shift would never end. If Able asks me to pull another double--”  
“Able!” the other walking with him said. “Come on, help me get him inside.”

“Zed, Mara, Able’s been hurt,” he called. The two stablehands set Able down gently inside the stable.

He groaned.

“Is he all right?” Mara asked. “How did this happen?”

“Tron,” Able said weakly.

“He did this?” Mara said, disbelievingly.

“No. He tried to take out Tesler. There was an explosion and Tron saved me.”

“Sounds to me like  _ the Rogue _ almost got you killed,” Zed said, arms folded.

“Zed!” Mara said warningly.

“What? This guy’s no Tron. He’s a menace!” He folded his arms again. “And it’s only a matter of time before we all end up casualties just like Able, or worse.”

From a nearby room, Beck heard it all.  _ Am I a menace? Am I doing more harm than good? _

“We’ve searched the fortress, sir. No sign of him anywhere.” a soldier reported to Tesler.

“Perhaps, General, it’s time to try a new approach,” Pavel said. “Rather than draw out the Rogue using soldiers, which didn’t work quite so well for Paige.”

Paige scowled.

“Might I recommend using some other form of bait? Innocent people, sir. Hostages.”

“And where would we find these hostages?” Tesler asked.

“Sir?” Bartik and Hopper walked in. “I believe we have a suggestion.”

Three dragons, loaded with soldiers, flew in and landed around the stables. The stablehands noticed, and began to flee and hide. Soldiers moved in as one of the dragons leaned forward to allow Pavel and two of his guards to dismount.

The guards formed a circle around the few stablehands still in reach.

Beck, still in the other room, watched. He’d pulled off the amulet and looked at it now, but he didn’t replace it around his neck. He backed away.

“Greetings, workers. By orders of General Tesler, this stable, and everyone in it, now belongs to the government.” Pavel said. Bartik and Hopper stood behind him. “Consider yourselves prisoners of war.”

“I thought I told you to get rid of the amulet,” Tron said. “You lied to me. If Tesler had recovered it--”

“But he didn’t.”

“You got lucky.”

“Luck’s got nothing to do with it. I took care of him on my own,” Beck said.

“Listen to yourself,” Tron said. “That amulet’s poison, Beck. And now, because of you, Tesler’s ready to execute everyone in that stable until you turn it over. And he won’t stop there.”

Beck bowed his head. “Then help me. Please. I can use it to save my friends. Teach me to control it--”  
“You can’t!” Tron said. “You have to destroy it.”

Beck blinked. A faint glimmer of red played around his brown eyes. “No. I need it.”

“Then your friends are already dead. This kind of power comes at a price, Beck.” Tron approached him. “If you won’t destroy it, I will.”

Tron reached for the chain, but Beck kept his hand away and pushed him back. Tron tried again. Beck caught a punch and twisted Tron’s arm. He drew his sword and held it up to Tron.

“I… I didn’t mean..” Beck stammered. He let go of Tron’s arm and replaced his sword.

“Now do you see why it needs to be destroyed?” Tron said gently. “I chose you for a reason, Beck. You’re strong, both physically and mentally. Now prove it.”

The dragons formed a strong wall around the captured stablehands. Zed walked up to where Bartik and Hopper were standing outside.

“You brought them here?” Zed said.

“You brought this on yourself,” Bartik said.

“When I get out of these restraints, I’m gonna--” Mara started.

“You’re gonna what? Beat me up? Teach me a lesson?” Hopper laughed.

“I was gonna say… kill you,” Mara said.

Hopper gasped in mock fear. Bartik laughed.

Above the stable, Beck glided in and climbed into the buildings.

Pavel looked around at the slight noise, but said nothing.

Beck moved around back, to the underground area where mountain dragons were kept. Sure enough, Able had been sheltering one for training.

He removed the amulet from his neck, and a rush of cool spread to replace the unnatural fire of its magic.

He hesitated, then set it down in front of the dragon in its feed trough.

Before the dragon flamed, Beck ran to a safe distance.

Beck closed his eyes as he felt the heat from the dragon’s breath. He walked back to see what was left.

There was nothing. Not even a charred lump.

“Didn’t anyone ever tell you?” Pavel said. “Never leave your valuables unattended.” He jingled the amulet’s chain, then put it around his neck.

He laughed as the magic surged through his body.

Beck ran forward and kicked, but Pavel dodged it easily. He also dodged Beck’s next punches, then caught another punch and threw Beck to the ground. Beck backflipped away, then pulled out his sword.

Pavel lunged forward with his own sword, then swung viciously at Beck. Beck managed to parry the blows, but the swords rang out as loud as a warning bell.

Pavel kicked and swung, while Beck dodged and backflipped away.

“My, my, my. How the mighty have fallen,” Pavel said. He swung his sword in a lazy arc, then threw a dagger at Beck.

Beck ducked away and threw a dagger of his own. Pavel knocked it away.

“I’ve always been smarter than you, but now I’m faster,” he said, striking Beck with quick punches. “And stronger!”

Beck hit the ground and groaned.

“Now, I’m indestructible!” Pavel gloated. He chased Beck as he tried to get out of the dragon’s reach.

Pavel slammed Beck’s head against the wall. The dragon roared hungrily and flamed.

The flames spread across the building. Seeing the smoke, the soldiers fled.

“The Rogue!” Mara cried out. “He’s come to save us!”

She and Zed watched as Pavel beat Beck back.

“Then who’s coming to save him?”

Beck backflipped away and ducked under more blows. The dragons’ flame continued to spread as soldiers and stablehands fled.

Zed managed to press the ropes binding him to a dagger dropped to the floor.

“Come on,” he told Mara. “Help me with the others.”

“It’s intoxicating, isn’t it?” Pavel said. He swung again at Beck. “A raw, merciless power!”

The wyverns and horses cried out fearfully. One of the wyverns rammed the walls of its enclosure, escaped, and headed at Mara, who was freeing one of the other stablehands.

“Mara!” Zed cried. He tackled her out of the way.

“Zed!” Able said. He gestured to follow.

Zed carried Mara through the wreckage and brought her to Able.

“Head for the tunnel,” Able said.

Zed spotted Hopper struggling with one of the panicking dragons. “I’ll meet you there.”  
He ran over and helped pull Bartik out from under it.

“We gotta get out of here,” Hopper said.

“This way. Follow me,” Zed said. He hoisted Bartik onto his shoulder.

As the fires continued to spread, Pavel walked around the area, looking for Beck.

Beck jumped down from the wyvern pens and landed on top of Pavel. The impact knocked the chain from Pavel’s neck.

Beck picked it up, and held it into the flames. A piece of rubble fell and hit it, and the amulet snapped in half.

Later, after the fires had been quenched, Zed visited with Mara in the breakroom. “You took a pretty hard hit. Are you sure you’re okay?”

“For the hundredth time, yes. It takes more than that to keep me down,” Mara said. She picked at her sleeve. “I just wish he were here, so I could thank him.”

“Who?” Zed said.

“Tron, who else? He saved my life, saved all of our lives.”

Zed sighed. “Right. The Rogue.”

“It wasn’t Tron,” Beck said, walking in. His skin was damp and slightly clammy, but it wasn’t nearly as obvious as the unnatural heat of the amulet. “He’s not the one who saved you. It was Zed.”

“Really?” Mara looked up at him. “You did that?”

“Well, I… uh,” Zed coughed. “It… It.. it was nothing.”

Mara grabbed his arm. “Thank you.”

In the toolshed, Zed watched as Beck put away his things, the armor hidden safely under a blanket.

“You didn’t have to do that.”

“Yeah, I did. She should know the truth.”

“How’d you know? That it was me and not Tron - uh, the Rogue. You weren’t even there.”

“Yeah, but…”  _ Okay, how would I have known? _ “Mara doesn’t know that.”

“I really did save her, you know,” Zed said indignantly.

“I believe you.”

“Destroyed?!” Tesler shouted.

“I promise you, sir. I won’t disappoint you again.” Pavel said. As he walked out of the room, Lady Paige smirked at him.

Pavel continued on to his chambers. He slid an iron box out of a hidden slot in his table. Within it was one of the chunks of crystal from the amulet.

As he watched, it began to heal itself and regrow.

He cackled.


	8. The Reward

General Tesler gazed over Argon from the window of his room. Crimson light bathed the area, and the silence was only broken by the quiet clink of a sword falling to the ground.

Wait. A sword?

Tesler turned and reached to pick it up, but his hand was caught by another hand.

“Help me, please,” the soldier grunted.

Tesler jumped back. The soldier crawled forward, both legs mutilated and bleeding.

As the soldier repeated his plea, the Rogue stamped down, and the soldier stopped moving. The rogue picked up the sword.

“I’m reclaiming Argon,” he said quietly.

“It’s mine! There’s no going back!” Tesler roared. He flung his cloak back and his hands lit up with magic. He threw a devastating punch, but the Rogue slid out of the way and chuckled.

Tesler growled. “What will it take to do away with you?” He struck again, but in vain - the Rogue jerked and dodged effortlessly.

“Do away with  _ me _ ?” the Rogue asked. “You and what army?”

Tesler grunted and tried to attack again. The Rogue just glided away from the blow. He laughed.

“It’s over, Rogue,” Tesler said.

As he launched one magical extension, the Rogue launched into the air and flipped over Tesler. He held the soldier’s sword to Tesler’s back and his own sword to his chest. 

“Think again. It’s only the beginning.”

The red emblems of the Occupation disappeared, replaced by the blue symbols of the Kingdom of Flynn.

“No. No. No!” Tesler cried.

He gasped and startled awake in his bedroom. Pale sunlight filtered through the windows.

Tesler got ready and walked into the strategy room of the fortress.

“Failure is no longer an option,” he told Pavel and Lady Paige. “I want the Rogue brought to his knees, and I want it done now.”

“How can I help?” Paige said coolly.

“You can’t!” Tesler said. “This time I intend to play the odds. Let someone else flush out the Rogue. Someone more attuned to the streets.”

Pavel smiled smugly. “I await your orders, your sagaciousness.”

“Well, keep waiting!” Tesler said. “I am turning over the task of catching the Rogue to the people of Argon.”

“What?” Pavel said.

“Get everybody to the Coliseum. And I mean everybody!” Tesler said.

“You are here because a terrorist lives among you,” Tesler announced from the royal box. “And your failure to identify him makes you all complicit in his crimes!”

He stood up.

“But I offer you a chance for redemption. Citizens of Argon,” Tesler said. “Bring me the Rogue!”

The crowd cheered.

“Of course, bringing him to justice is your civic duty and should be reward enough. But since I always put my people first, I offer you this…” Tesler said.

Two ladies walked a deep black horse and chariot with red markings into the arena.

“The Night Splicer, the only chariot to outrun a wyvern. Provide us with information leading to the Rogue’s capture and this remarkable vehicle could be yours!” Tesler continued. “And that’s not all. To further our efforts of achieving a Rogue-free Argon, the curfew is lifted.”

All of the crowd cheered to that.

Within the crowd, Zed pointed to Mara and joked, “Hey, I’ve got your Rogue right here!”   
She twisted his arm and pushed him to the ground. “Ow, hey hey hey! Okay!”

“Congratulations, citizens, and happy hunting.”

From up in a hidden corner of the stands, Beck and Tron watched the whole thing.

“Wow, and then that happened,” Beck said.

“Nothing’s changed. If anything, we press harder,” Tron said.

“I’m sorry,” Beck said sarcastically. “Did you not see any of that? Everyone’s looking to turn me in and collect the reward.”

“It’s a desperate move on Tesler’s part. You could use it against him.”

“No. I say we lay low for a while. Take a break.” Beck shook his head.

“Beck!”  
“I don’t have a choice. It’s too dangerous.”

Tron sighed. “Okay. Part of learning to lead a revolution is knowing when to proceed and when to wait. I’ll defer to you on this one.”

“Finally,” Beck said.

A crash woke a man lying on the floor.

“What… what’s going on?”

“Submit, citizen.” Three soldiers held their staffs at the ready.

“He killed my neighbor! He’s the Rogue!” another man shouted from outside.

“Based on the unbiased testimony of your neighbor, you are hereby suspected of being the Rogue,” one of the soldiers said.

“I’m not the Rogue. I’m innocent!” the man cried.

“Put him with the others.”

As the soldiers led the man out of his home, similar accusations and protests rang out throughout the area.

“Over here! It’s him! The Rogue!”

“I don’t know him,” the man repeated. “It’s not me!”

“Keep moving,” the soldier said.

Pavel, Paige, Bartik, and Hopper watched intently.

“Sectors three through five reporting,” Bartik said. “All suspects en route.”

“That’s it. Let’s wrap it up,” Paige said.

“Yeah. Great,” Hopper said. “Ninety more Rogues to interrogate. Just what we needed.”

“Is that a complaint, soldier,” Pavel said in a syrupy voice. “If so, I’m sure the general would be thrilled to hear your grievance.”

Hopper straightened. “Uh, no. No sir.” He chuckled. “Happy to serve.”

“Back off, Pavel,” Paige said. “You hated Tesler’s idea too.”

“Oh, Paige. You poor, deranged creature,” Pavel said with the same false sweetness. “The Rogue’s changed everything. There’s no going back to the way things were. I’m telling you, if this works, Tesler will make sweeping changes, and you and I will be the first to be replaced.”

“You’re just being paranoid,” Paige said. “Come on. We’re done.”

Eagles and dragons soared around the new jail area constructed on the outskirts of Argon, somewhere near the stables.

“No curfew? Please.” Beck said. “Tesler’s troops have taken over everything.”

“Told you so,” Zed said. “Been this way for a while now. Of course, you’d know that, if you hung out with us like you used to.”

“Zed,” Mara warned.

“It’s okay, Mara.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Zed said. “Nothing you can do about it anyway. It’s all the Rogue’s fault. Unless... you are the Rogue?”

Beck leaned back and stared for a moment.  _ Play it cool. _ “Very funny. You got me.”

“Please, please,” Mara interrupted. “I don’t wanna spend the night talking about the Rogue. I wanna celebrate instead.”

Beck looked away, where another man was being led off by soldiers. “Really? Doesn’t seem like there’s much to celebrate anymore.”

“How about the fact that we’re finally spending some free time together?” Mara asked. “Out on the town, with no curfew hanging over our heads, just like old times.”

Mara hugged Beck and accidentally pushed him into the fence. He winced and stepped away from it. “Yeah. Exactly like old times. But Mara’s right. We’ve got the night off. Come on, Zed, let’s have some fun.”

Mara and Beck ran off toward the tavern. Zed followed a bit later.

“You were kidding about being the Rogue, right?”

Beck pretended he hadn’t heard.

A man walked up to the chariot, still on display in the arena.

“If you were mine, I’d polish you every night,” he said.

Pavel stepped out of the shadows. “What if I told you I could make your dream a reality?” He bowed. “Commander Pavel, at your service.”

“I don’t get it. Why would you help me win the chariot?” the man asked.

“Don’t be so humble, citizen. In these trying times, Argon needs a hero to look up to, someone who represents the population. Someone utterly ordinary, like yourself.”

“Thanks.”

“I have information that will lead to the capture of the Rogue. But I am hardly as ordinary as you. If I swoop in and claim the glory that is rightfully mine, who benefits?”

“Well, then tell me, and I’ll report it!” the man said eagerly.

Pavel chuckled. “Great minds think alike.”

The man stared at the roadster one more time, then followed Pavel out of the arena.

Beck, Mara, and Zed moved through the streets, which were still choked with soldiers. As they elbowed through the soldiers in the tavern, Beck spoke.

“This can’t be happening. This was  _ our _ place.”

When they’d finally moved through the bulk of the soldiers, one of the soldiers bumped into Beck, who hadn’t bothered to get out of the way.

“Hey!” he said.

The soldier turned around. “Do you have a problem, stablehand?”

“No, no problem. We’re on our way out,” Zed hurried to say.

“Don’t come back,” the soldier said.

“I won’t,” Beck said.

“Beck, stop it! What are you doing, trying to get us sent to the Games?” Zed asked as they moved away.

Mara sighed. “Well, so much for old times. I’m going home.”

“No. I don’t want to give up yet,” Beck said.

“Beck, Mara’s right. It’s not the same anymore.”

Someone walked up to them. A group of four soldiers marched into the tavern and approached Hopper’s table.

“See ya,” the girl who was with him said.

The soldiers pressed Hopper’s head to the table.

“Ow! Hey, what’s going on?”

“Based on the unbiased testimony of this bold Argon patriot,” Pavel said. “You are hereby suspected of being the Rogue!”

Everyone in the tavern gasped.

“I knew it,” Bartik said. “That chariot could have been mine!”

Pavel chuckled. “Submit, citizen.”

“Come on! You’re making a mistake. I’m not the Rogue. I’m innocent!” Hopper pleaded as the guards led him away.

“Yes, of course. Exactly right. I’m sure your belongings will verify all of that,” Pavel said. “Long live Clu!”

“Why would Link accuse Hopper of being the Rogue?” Beck asked.

“Hopper’s not the Rogue. He’s a pain, but he’s not that big of a pain,” Zed said.

“It’s sick,” Mara said. “All this reward has done is turn people against each other.”

“I need to talk to Link and get to the bottom of this.”

“Good idea. Let’s go,” Mara said.

“No, you two stay here. Talk to Bartik. He can’t really believe his friend is the Rogue. He must know more.”

“Uh, Bartik and I don’t really see eye to eye,” Zed said. “Fist to eye, maybe.”

“The fight. That’s it!” Mara said.

“Huh, what?”

“Beck, wait!” Mara called, but Beck was gone.

Lady Paige stalked up to Bartik. “Did I miss something?”

“Pavel arrested Hopper. He says he’s the Rogue!” Bartik answered.

“What are you talking about?”

“I feel so… betrayed!” Bartik exclaimed. “Now, I can’t stay in here any longer. I have to go get some air.” He rushed out.

“Bartik, wait!” Mara said.

“I need air!”

“Who are you? What do you want?” Paige asked Mara.

“Hopper’s not the Rogue,” Zed said.

“And we can prove it.”

Paige looked at them suspiciously.

Within a small shack in the city, Pavel waited for a woman to finish scratching at Hopper’s diary.

“Gorn, did I mention I was in a hurry?” Pavel said. “I’m in a hurry!” he shouted.

“I’m sure a wise man like yourself understands that this work requires great skill and patience,” she said.

“Blah, blah, blah. Don’t test me, Gorn. You’ll be handsomely rewarded  _ if _ it works.”

She carefully wrote something into the diary where Hopper’s entry had previously said something mundane. It now read, “Entered Tesler’s fortress. Plan to kill his new elephant.”

“Delicious,” Pavel said. “If Tesler wants a citizen to do my job, then so be it! Now come. We have an innocent life to ruin.”

“This is the Renegade?” Tesler asked disbelievingly.

Hopper whimpered.

“One of our own?”

“Tragic, isn’t it sir?” Pavel said. “Clearly, he’s a malicious malcontent with only one purpose in mind, to see you choke on your own iron fist, speaking figuratively… Sir.”

“This man who turned him in, this.. Lint,” Tesler said.

“It’s Link, sir.”

“Right, Lint. Do you trust him?”

“I do. He’s a true hero of Argon,” Pavel said. He held out Hopper’s diary. “And I have to say, the evidence speaks for itself.”

Tesler flipped through the diary and read aloud the forged entry, which described breaking out a prisoner.

“That’s not me!” Hoppe squealed. “Please, I… I would never do anything like that.”

“Stop your sniveling!” Tesler kicked Hopper down. “I’ve spent far too many sleepless nights imagining this moment to have it end like  _ this. _ I expected a far more worthy adversary, but you’re nothing but a coward!” Tesler punched the ground beside Hopper’s head. “You’re no Tron.” He turned to Pavel. “Now take him away.”

Pavel leaned over Hopper and chuckled.

“Nice wheels, Link,” a man on Argon’s streets said.

Link rode slowly down the streets in the Night Splicer. The horse in front of the chariot reared.

“Hey, Rogue catcher, stop,” a woman said.

“Hey,” Link said. He smiled. “Yeah.”

“Nice job catching the Rogue,” Beck said. He’d hopped into the back of the chariot while it moved slowly.

Link yelled and nearly lost control of the horse. “Don’t hit me! It wasn’t my idea! It was..”

Pavel walked into his room.

“Pavel,” Paige said.

“Paige,” Pavel said. “What an unwelcome and completely predictable surprise.”

“Spare me. I know what you’re up to. You’re trying to embarrass Tesler in front of Emperor Clu.”

“Lies.” Pavel walked over to his window.

“You  _ want _ him to arrest the wrong man, you want him to appear incompetent when dealing with the Rogue, and you want Clu to see it and replace Tesler… with you.”

“Scintillating,” Pavel said. “I must admit, your incredibly vivid imagination is quite entertaining.”

“Is it?” Paige asked. She opened a door to reveal Zed and Mara.

“Stablehands?”

“You’ve arrested the wrong man,” Zed said.

“The night you fought the Rogue in our stables, Hopper was there. He couldn’t possibly be the Rogue,” Mara explained.

Just then, the main door of the room opened.

“Pavel, I had an idea regarding the Rogue’s execu--” Tesler started, only to hear Mara. “What’s this?”

“Sir, these people--” Paige said.

“Are Rogue sympathizers!” Pavel said.

“Sympathizers!” Both Mara and Zed exclaimed.

“That’s not true,” Paige said. She shoved Pavel aside and stood in front of Tesler. “General, allow me to explain.”

“We’re only trying to help!” Zed said.

“You’ve got the wrong man in custody,” Mara said. “He’s innocent!”

Paige and Pavel gasped.

General Tesler growled.

Mara took a step back.

“You’re questioning  _ my _ judgement?” General Tesler said.

“Sir, if I may speak on their behalf,” Paige said.

“You may not! Since you care so much about my prisoner, you can join him!” Tesler told Mara and Zed. “Guards, arrest these people! I want them strung up. Take them to Argon Square now.”

“Just tell me one more time, and I’ll get it right, no mistakes this time,” Link said. “I promise.”

Beck groaned. “Okay, for the last time, the plan is this. You and your chariot will appear at Hopper’s execution, like they’ve asked you to.”

“But when I get there, you’ll pop up, club me on the head, and reveal yourself as the true rogue.”

“In front of everyone, proving Hopper’s innocence. Got it?”

“Can we talk about the clubbing over the head part again?” Link asked.

Before Beck could say anything, General Tesler’s voice boomed out over the city

“People of Argon…”

Beck and Link ran out of the house.

“Your nightmare is over!”  
“They’ve already started!” Beck exclaimed.

“The Rogue has been unmasked.”

Beck spotted several banners with Mara and Zed’s appearances on them. “Zed! Mara!”

“And the order that Clu demands has been restored. We have won.” Tesler continued.

The crowd in the square cheered.

“Let the public executions begin.”

“Does this mean we need a new plan?” asked Link.

Beck climbed into the chariot and sped off.

“Hey, wait! This is my new chariot!” Link exclaimed. “Be careful!”

In the square, Mara, Zed, and Hopper were lined up on three gallows. The soldiers removed the platform from beneath their feet and they began to choke.

“I’m innocent!” Hopper cried.

Mara and Zed only groaned.

Beck ran into a large crowd of people and animals in the street. “Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me!” he said. “I don’t have time for this.”

The chariot turned sharply and Beck headed a different direction.

“Sir, I beg of you,  _ please  _ reconsider,” Paige said.

“Nonsense,” Pavel said. “Clu will be so proud of you, General.”

“Silence!” Tesler said. “Not another word from either of you. I want to enjoy this.”   
  


The wind whistled around Beck as the Night Splicer sped through the streets. He could hear the crowd cheering in the square.

“Goodbye, Rogue,” Tesler said. He waved his hand, and the soldiers cranked the rope up higher.

The three prisoners groaned more.

Beck rode through a narrow street, scraping some paint off the sides of the chariot.

“Zed,” Mara choked out.

“It’s gonna be okay, Mara, just close your eyes,” Zed reassured, though he was in the same position.

Beck jumped the chariot into the square and galloped toward the prisoners.

“Tell me, is that-” Tesler said.

“The Rogue?” Paige said.

“Zed, there’s something I need to say before it’s too late,” Mara said.

“Okay, tell me,” Zed said.

“You’ve always been a good friend to me,” Mara continued. “The best, actually. But sometimes, I wish we…”

Beck brought the chariot up to the gallows.

“You wish we’d what…” Zed said.

“What are you waiting for?” Tesler asked. “Stop him!”

“Showtime,” Beck said. He jumped out of the chariot and slashed the ropes holding Mara, Zed, and Hopper.

“It’s him!” Mara exclaimed. “It’s the Rogue!”

As Hopper, Zed, and Mara stood up, an arrow nearly found its mark.

“This is amazing!”

“Mara, as you were saying just a moment ago,” Zed said, as Beck cut their bonds.

Another arrow shook the wooden foundation of the gallows. It rocked, and the chariot turned to follow the prisoners and Beck. Beck jumped in and turned it so that the freed prisoners could get in.

“Okay, Mara, what were you about to say?” Zed said.

Pavel fired again.

“Mara, focus! We could what?”

All of the prisoners screamed as Beck jumped out of the square with the chariot.

Two eagles followed the escapees.

“Sir, I…” Pavel started.

“Don’t  _ ever  _ bring this up again,” Tesler said, voice shaking angrily.

“I think we lost him. Everybody okay?” Beck said.

“I’m alive! The Rogue saved me! He… wait. The Rogue?” Hopper said. He pulled out his sword and held it to Beck’s throat. “Surrender, Rogue.”

“Zed?” Mara said. Beck stopped the chariot, and Mara and Zed threw Hopper out.

“Like I said, it’s the only way I can connect with these guys.”

Mara laughed. “Oh, this is incredible! Thank you. You saved our lives!”

“Yeah, thanks. I guess. Though this is sort of all your fault to begin with,” Zed said.

“Zed, admit it. You’re enjoying yourself,” Mara said.

“But..”

“But, nothing. We just outran a bowman in a stolen chariot with the Rogue. When’s the last time we had this much fun together?”

“Yeah,” Zed admitted. “I just wish Beck were here...”

Beck looked over at Mara.  _ I am here, _ he thought.  _ They can’t know it though. _

“Beck,” Mara said. “ He would have loved this.”

As the chariot slowed to a stop, Beck said, “This is where we part. Remember, Tron lives.”

Mara and Zed got off, and Beck turned away to the Outlands.

“Mara, about what you said on the platform,” Zed said.

“The platform?” Mara laughed. “What did I say?”

“You said we…” Zed trailed off. “Never mind.”

In Tron’s shelter, Beck walked up to Tron, who surveyed the city from the window.

“I thought you were taking time off.”

“Easier said than done, I guess.”

“Maybe another time,” Tron said.


	9. Scars, Part 1

A ship skimmed through the waves, its red sails and flag waving. One soldier stood, masked, on deck, despite the blistering wind. He stared forward at Argon’s harbor, then walked into the ship to dock.

He took off his mask and revealed a narrow chin and large, almost bulging eyes.

On the shore, several soldiers made way as the man showed a paper with orders from Emperor Clu. He entered the city unchecked - as Clu’s highest-ranking soldier, he could do that.

Within the outland shelter, Tron felt a rush of adrenaline, and a cold finger of fear. 

_ Someone’s coming. Someone dangerous. Evil, even. _

He focused on the feeling, and with it came a name. Old memories surfaced, and with them the face to match the name.

Tron shuddered. His hand shook, and the scar on his face opened slightly.

“Dyson.”

Dyson rode into Tesler’s fortress on a large lizard. General Tesler, Lady Paige, and Commander Pavel stood waiting.

“Who is that?” Pavel asked. “And why don’t we have one of those creatures? Not that we need one.”

“We don’t.” Tesler said.

Dyson dismounted and walked up to the three.

“Oh, not him. That vile, two-faced phony,” Tesler said. His voice took on fake cheer as he addressed the visitor. “Dyson! What a wonderful surprise! To what do we owe this pleasure?”

“I think you know,” Dyson said nasally. “I’m here to fire you. Condemn you to the games.”

Tesler looked at Paige and Pavel, who in turn looked at each other.  
Dyson snickered. “I’m joking, of course. Just a customary review of the outer cities. I doubt I’ll see anything to warrant _that_.” He walked past Pavel and Paige. “Oh, and there’s also the matter of the…of...” He sighed. “Oh, what’s his name. Rogue?”

“He’s nothing,” Tesler lied. “A minor nuisance.”

“Odd, because His Majesty Clu hears different. Well, I’ll have to see for myself.”

Dyson continued into the fortress.

When he was out of earshot, Lady Paige spoke. “I think I like him as much as I like the Rogue.”

“I want you both glued to Dyson every moment he’s here,” Tesler ordered. “Make sure his visit is brief and uneventful.”

“Your target. Take a good look,” Tron said.

Beck held up the spyglass and peered into Tesler’s fortress at Dyson. “I could have spotted him myself. You didn’t have to come out here.” He put down the spyglass. “He must be pretty important.”

“All you need to know is he’s Clu’s highest ranking soldier, and the deadliest.”

“Got it,” Beck said. “So what’s our plan?”

“Dyson has vital information on Clu, so you’re going to capture him, and bring him to the hideout, where I’ll extract it from him,” Tron rumbled.

“Well, wouldn’t it make more sense just to get the information off him?” Beck said. “If I bring him to the lair… he’ll see our operation, see you… We’d have to kill him. Which is a bad thing, right?”

Tron stood watching the fortress and didn’t answer.

“ _ Right? _ ” Beck repeated.

“I have bigger plans for Dyson, and there’s a reason you don’t know the details. You just have to get him. Unless you can’t handle that?” Tron challenged.

“It’s not how I’d do it, but you’re Tron. I just wear the armor.” He stood up, and noticed the open wound. “Your scar. You’ve been away from the healing chamber too long.”

“Funny.” Tron said. “I hadn’t noticed.”

His mind was in the past. He stood, fully-armored, atop a watchtower in the capital city.

“Just once, Dyson, I wish you’d come to me when you don’t have bad news.”

“But then I wouldn’t be doing my job,” Dyson said.

“Let me guess,” Tron said. “Another disturbance in the Sidhe villages.”

“Ever since the Sidhe showed up, it’s been one incident after the next.”

“You’re talking like we’ve never had problems before,” Tron said. “People are always competitive.”

“But it’s different with them. Nobody knows what these Sidhe are. It’s got the whole city on edge.”

“And it’s time to take the edge off. Assemble our team,” Tron ordered.

As he, Dyson, and three other soldiers walked down the tall staircase, Tron explained the situation. “Apparently the locals don’t like Sidhe moving into their neighborhood. So we’re going to show them there’s room in the kingdom for all of them.”

“Slap a few wrists, send a few people home,” one of the soldiers said. “All in a day’s work.”

“How would you know, Reeve? You’ve never worked a cycle in your life,” another teased.

Their final teammate, a warrior woman, chuckled.

“I want the crowd dispersed peacefully,” Tron said. “Under no circumstances are you to draw your swords. Understood?”

“You want us to go in unarmed?” the woman said.

“For Sidhe?” Reeve exclaimed.

“What shall we stop the mob with? A group hug?”

“In case you had cotton in your ears,” Dyson said. “That was an _ order _ . Now get moving, soldiers. On the double!”

The three soldiers mounted their horses and rode off.

“Thanks,” Tron said.

“Anytime, old friend.” Dyson put his hand on Tron’s shoulder.

They rode after and soon formed the lead of their group.

In the Sidhe settlements, the people of the kingdom had surrounded a group of Sidhe.

“Freaks! Go back to the holes you crawled out of!” one man yelled.

“This is our home too,” a Sidhe man said.

As Tron, Dyson, and their team rode in, the crowd moved aside.

They dismounted and stood between the Sidhe and the others.

“It’s Tron.”

“It’s him.”

The crowd murmured.

“Look at yourselves!” Tron said. “His Majesty Flynn intended the kingdom for all, to be shared freely. Don’t dishonor his vision through violence.”

On each side, the Sidhe and the kingdom’s citizens stared at each other.

It seemed like peace would be made. But a knife flew through the silence from the Sidhe side, and embedded in the chest of one of the citizens. The thrower of the knife ran away before they could be spotted.

“Sidhe! It was them!” The cry led the citizens to attack. 

“No. No!” Tron cried. He and his soldiers pulled out their shields and tried to force the citizens back, but it was futile.

“Kill!”

Tron and the others pushed against the flow, but without using weapons, it seemed as if the citizens wouldn’t stop. One soldier pulled out his sword.

“No swords!” Dyson said. “Tron said no weapons!”

The citizens had no such reservations. A Sidhe woman screamed as a citizen plunged his sword into her, and another Sidhe fell to the ground with a dagger in his body.

Dyson stood in the thick of it, trying to force the citizens away.

“Dyson! Pull back!” Tron said.

Dyson looked up, only for a stray knife to cut deep into the right side of his face.

“Dyson. Dyson!”

Tron looked one more time through the spyglass, at Dyson and his red armor. 

“Welcome to Argon, old friend,” he said bitterly.

Beck stood in the birch paneled room.

“Let’s go again,” Tron’s voice echoed through the room.

“Again?” Beck said. “But we’ve done this illusion four times!”

“That’s not enough.” Tron said. “Again.”

“Yes, sir,” Beck said. He held up the smoke bomb.

“I can hear you.” Tron said. “Focus.”

Beck pulled on his helmet.

Four soldiers appeared in the room. They pulled out their swords and ran at Beck. Beck threw the bomb, then knocked the first soldier to the ground and pushed the other aside. He pulled the next one over his shoulder and down with the momentum. The last soldier threw a knife at him, but Beck dodged it and scissor-kicked him down.

Dyson appeared last. He pulled out his sword and slashed viciously at Beck. Beck jumped back, and barely dodged a hard downward strike. Three back and forth slashes nearly hit Beck, but he dodged in time.

The room transformed into a duplicate of the docks. Beck landed hard and dodged more strikes from Dyson, but was unable to return attacks.

Tron watched Beck’s attempts from just outside the room.

Beck feinted backward, then grabbed Dyson’s sword and dealt a hard, blunt hit to Dyson’s head.

Dyson fell, unconscious.

Beck stood over the soldier.

“Finish him!” Tron shouted.

Beck looked at Tron, then down at ‘Dyson’.

Dyson looked over Argon from his seat on a dragon. 

“A quaint little burg,” he said. “I wonder why Tesler’s having so much trouble getting it in line.”

As Dyson jumped down, Pavel turned to Paige. “Hmm,” he said. “Seems like Tesler’s on shaky ground. You don’t think Clu’s considering demoting him?”

Paige stared ahead.

“Nah, me neither. Of course, anything goes when you’re on the top.” Pavel said. “Don’t you find politics fascinating?”

“ _ Nothing _ you say is fascinating,” Paige said.

“Don’t be coy. You’re ambitious too. Think of how far up the ladder we could climb if we had each other’s backs,” Pavel said. “Can you imagine what you and I could do… together?”

“I can, and it makes me sick,” Paige said. She spurred on the dragon, and Pavel stumbled to his knees. “Oops.”

Dyson had returned to the dragon. He stared out over the city, but he remembered another time.

“Sidhe,” he said. His injured face still burnt in shame and pain. “Like a disease that keeps spreading.”

“Dyson, stay on mission,” Tron ordered. “I’m just here to work with His Majesty Flynn. I need you to keep this area safe.”

“Look at them. Their tattoos… It’s not right,” Dyson continued. “And they weren’t from our people. They serve no purpose!”

“Dyson!” Tron said. “We don’t know who threw the first knife that day.”

“I do,” Dyson said. He felt the injury - still fresh. “Them.”

In the back of the crowd, the Sidhe moved aside to allow a horse and rider, both wearing black with golden decorations, through.

The rider dismounted, looked to either side, then walked up the steps to the platform Tron and Dyson were on.

“Clu,” Tron said politely.

“I see Flynn’s on time,” he drawled. “As usual.”

A flash of blue light lit the castle’s towers.

“There he is now,” Tron said.

Dyson looked up as the King walked through the castle doors in his robe of black with white fur accents.

“Aren’t you both a sight for sore eyes,” Flynn said to Tron and Clu. “We are on the eve of something big.”

He walked out into the full view of the crowd, past his mirror image in gold. 

“And the key,” he said. “The key is the Sidhe.” He smiled out proudly at his kingdom.

“Yes, Sidhe,” Tron said, a note of impatience in his voice. “There’s been more unrest.”

“To, uh, put it mildly,” Clu said.

“Now, Clu --” the king started.

“Flynn,” Tron said. He gestured to Dyson.

“I, um, I’m one of your Royal Guard,” Dyson said.

“Dyson. I know,” Flynn said. He walked over to him.

“I want you to do something about those Sidhe,” Dyson said. “They pervert the kingdom, and they need to be removed from it.”

Flynn looked bemused.

“You should know, Dyson sustained that injury in the line of duty,” Tron said.

Flynn put his hand on Dyson’s shoulder. “I understand your need for justice,” he said. “But the Sidhe have just as much a right to be here as anyone. They came from the kingdom itself, not me.”

Dyson looked up, disappointed.

“Now…” Flynn said. “Who’s ready to alter the fabric of existence as we know it, huh?”

Dyson’s injury burned again.

Dyson’s dragon curved a path down to the fortress. Far from the city, in the mountain shelter, Tron stood at the doorway to his healing chamber. He put one hand into it, and the spells flowed into his body and repaired some of the scar. It retreated to his cheekbone, but when he removed his hand, quickly opened again.

He grimaced.

_ Someone _ approached from the main room. He threw  _ something _ at Tron.

Tron looked, frowned, and pulled out his sword. The explosive’s fuse hissed and it stayed firmly attached to the sword.

The room seemed to flip. Tron fell to the ceiling as the fuse shortened.

He tossed the sword away and covered his ears.

Beck walked into view with Tron’s sword in hand. The room flipped again, slower this time, and Tron landed safely on the ground.

“Look, I know you have your secret plan that I don’t know about,” Beck said. “But I figured if you saw I could get your sword, you’d know I could get the information off of Dyson.”

Tron strode over to Beck. “I don’t want cheap gimmicks,” he thundered. “I want Dyson!”

He wrenched the sword from Beck’s hand. “Don’t come back until he’s your prisoner.”

“So, that’s it? Beck asked.

“No!” Tron shouted. “If you pull a stunt like that again, you’re out! I’ll wage this revolution without you.”

He slammed the door shut between them.

Beck crawled atop Tesler’s fortress and listened.

“Sir, I know General Tesler is eager for you to see the energy plant,” Paige said.

Dyson stammered. “Uh, all in good time. I like to get a feel for the… uh, public.” He watched Paige closely. “You seem nervous about something. Oh, it’s not the Rogue business, is it?”

“Him? Of course not,” Paige bluffed. “I can assure you, the Rogue is a non-issue.”

“Well, except for that time he beheaded Clu’s statue…” Pavel said. “And burnt it down.”

Beck watched the group of soldiers pass by.

“My colleague gets carried away,” Paige said. “At best, the Rogue is a petty vandal.”

Dyson snapped, and the group came to a halt.

Beck pressed himself to the floor.  _ He spotted me. _

“What is it?” Pavel asked. Dyson smacked his face, shutting Pavel up. He bent to the ground and placed his hands on it. Thin blue flames lit up Beck’s footprints.

Beck watched as Dyson turned, noticed the explosive he’d planted, and hurled it up at Beck.

It exploded a few feet away from Beck. Smoke cascaded from it around him. He grunted.

Dyson stared up at where the explosion had happened for a long moment. “A smoke bomb,” he said. “Harmless up there, but down here it would have left us an easy target. For what, I wonder?”

“Scour the area,” Paige ordered the other soldiers. “Whoever did this could still be nearby.” They obeyed.

Pavel and Paige turned to follow Dyson. “There’s only one man who could have done this,” she said.

“Let me guess, your petty vandal?” Dyson said.

“My colleague is being modest,” Pavel said. “The Rogue has actually built quite a reputation. Some even say he’s Tron.”

Dyson chuckled. “Oh, believe me. He’s not Tron. I was there when Tron and Flynn nearly destroyed the kingdom.”

Paige stared. “You knew Tron?”

“Knew him?” Dyson scoffed. “I watched him die.”

Beck shifted and grimaced.  _ I think I have an idea why Tron is so eager to capture Dyson instead of just the information... _

“Flynn!” Clu shouted. “Am I still to create the perfect kingdom?”  
“Yeah...?” the king said nervously.

Dyson gave a signal, and his troops pulled out their swords. “Now.”

Tron put his arm up to guard Flynn. “Flynn, go.” As the king fled, Tron plunged his sword into one of the soldiers.

He fought relentlessly - even recklessly. His enemies went down in sprays of blood, but he was taking nearly as many blows. By the time he had taken down the soldiers, Tron fell to the ground, bleeding heavily from rough gouges on his torso.

“You failed, Clu,” he grunted. “Flynn will vanish, disappear into the kingdom! He’s the true king.”

“He can go wherever he wants,” Clu said. “It was you I’m after. Without the mighty Tron, the king will fall. And the Emperor will rise.”

Dyson approached to stand beside Clu. His face was healed, with no sign of the ugly wound that had stretched across it.

“Dyson,” Tron whispered.

Clu chuckled. “What do you think, Tron? I made Dyson perfect again.” 

Dyson put his hand to the new skin of his cheek.

“Dyson,” Tron grunted. “I trusted you. He betrayed us.”

“You’re wrong,” Dyson said. “Flynn betrayed us. Betrayed all of us. Now Clu is free to cleanse the kingdom of the Sidhe.”

Clu lifted his sword and struck Tron’s chest.

Lightning flashed and revealed Tron’s reflection in the window. The wound had grown again. It covered one eye and reached for the other. He stalked away and found Beck waiting inside the main room of the shelter.

“I told you not to come back empty-handed,” Tron growled.

Beck removed his helmet and frowned. He walked up to Tron. “Just answer me one question. Is this about fighting the revolution, or killing Dyson?”

“This isn’t your battle,” Tron rumbled. “Stay out of it.” He pushed past Beck.

“Hey,” Beck said. He put his hand on Tron’s shoulder. “I don’t care what you do to me. I’m not letting you kill for revenge.” Beck was cut off with a groan as Tron hit him with a spell, harsh as the storm above.

He fell to the ground, unconscious.

Tron removed the armor from Beck and tossed Beck’s sword to the side. As the storm continued, he donned the armor. “I didn’t ask your permission.”


	10. Scars, Part 2

Beck peeled himself off the floor of Tron’s hideout, picked up his sword, and looked outside. Tron, on horseback, was barely visible amid the thick snow on the mountainside.  
“Where are you going, Tron?” he whispered.  
The storm’s thunder crackled.

Tron rode hard. The horse’s hooves kicked up snowdrifts, and the icy wind cut across the widened scar on his face. As he approached the chasm near the edge of the foothills, Beck and his horse appeared in the distance.  
Tron glanced back, then spurred his horse on.  
Beck’s horse galloped faster, and he drew up beside Tron.  
“Come on, Tron. This isn’t you,” he called through the wind.  
Beck’s horse brushed against Tron’s. Beck spurred it on, then began to curve back facing the hideout. Tron was forced to turn with him. Once Beck had fully turned around, however, Tron easily guided his horse away from Beck’s and back on the path to the city. Beck followed, weaving in and out of the spires and boulders peeking out of the snow. He caught up with Tron once again, and his horse kicked out at Tron’s.  
“Enough!” Beck said.  
Tron’s horse retaliated, and Tron barely reacted.  
“Enough!”  
Beck returned his focus to the terrain ahead, and spotted the carcass of a large creature directly in their path. He broke away from Tron and avoided the carcass, but Tron ducked beneath it and picked up a long spear of bone from the ground.  
Beck caught up to Tron again as they approached the chasm. Tron struck Beck’s horse with the bone spear, then spurred his horse to leap the chasm.  
Tron landed safely on the other side.  
Beck’s horse threw him, and he landed hard on the snow-covered stone, inches from the edge.  
“Whoa.”  
He stood up and watched as Tron continued to speed away.

“You had simple orders,” General Tesler said. “Give Dyson a tour. Make sure it goes smoothly. So why didn’t it?”  
“There was a minor security lapse,” Lady Paige stammered. “But Dyson was unharmed.”  
“Fortunately, I was there to stop the Rogue from claiming his target,” Pavel added.  
“If I hear one more mention of th-” General Tesler seethed.  
“Mention of whom?” Dyson said from his perch on Tesler’s throne.  
“Oh, no one, no one important,” Tesler said. “Dyson! So glad to see you’re treating my fortress… as your fortress.” He wrung his hands behind his back, wisps of molten magic swirling around them.  
“Is, uh, is there a problem, Tesler?” Dyson said.  
“Not at all,” Tesler laughed nervously. “Why would you say that?”  
“Because I sense a surprising lack of control over the city.” Dyson said. “It might be necessary for me to stick around a while longer. Maybe indefinitely. Besides,” he stood up. “I’m looking forward to meeting this, uh, Rogue. But we’ll never catch him if we’re always sitting around on the job.” He patted Tesler on the shoulder. “Will we?”  
As Dyson walked out of the throne room, he called back, “Doesn’t this tour come with guides?”  
General Tesler growled.  
“I’ll handle it,” Paige said. “There won’t be any more trouble.” She ran after Dyson.  
“Hmm,” Pavel mused.

“So, how long is Tesler going to keep on pretending he can handle this rogue, hm?” Dyson asked Paige as they walked into a storage room.  
“Permission to speak candidly?” Paige asked. When Dyson didn’t argue, she continued. “He’s shiftier than we gave him credit for, but hardly a threat.”  
As the words left her mouth, smoke billowed up around them, and alarm gongs sounded.  
“Hardly a threat?” Dyson asked. “Uh, you’ll forgive me if I no longer trust your word on that.”  
“I’ll… be right back,” Paige said. She turned and began to walk away.  
Dyson walked further into the room.  
From up in the rafters, Tron stared down at him.

He awoke coughing, in a cold, small cell spattered with his blood. The walls were tempered glass, allowing him to see out - but not to escape. He beat his hands against the walls uselessly, then looked beyond it to see--  
“Reeve?” Tron breathed.  
His teammate stood motionless inside another glass cell, his sword held in a small container above him.  
“Reeve! Hang tight until I can figure a way out of here!” Tron shouted.  
As if responding to a command, Reeve lifted his head and raised his arms.  
“Reeve!”  
A thread of blue light unrolled from above Reeve’s head, then detached and floated away. Golden orange light streamed down to replace it. Tron looked around, and in each of the thousands of glass cells, the same malignant magic happened to each soldier imprisoned within them.  
He slid to the ground of his tight confinement. “Dyson. What have you done?”  
The ground beneath him lifted and pushed him into a room above the glass cells. Someone approached Tron in the dark emptiness.  
“Hello,” the soldier said. He removed his helmet to reveal Dyson’s face. “Old friend.”  
Tron stood, mind racing, but body weak.

“You found me,” Tron said. “I guess I should congratulate you.”  
Beck looked at him from another spot in the rafters. “I was trained by the best.” He leaped lightly onto the rafter where Tron stood.  
“You being here doesn’t change anything,” Tron said. “I’m still gonna finish what I came to do.”  
“And I’ll still stop you,” Beck said. He approached Tron. “Come with me. We can get Dyson’s information the right way. Without killing him. Please.”  
Tron stepped closer, then punched Beck in the face.  
Beck cried out in pain and stumbled back on the rafter. Without Tron’s armor, the attack was even more painful. He rushed Tron, but Tron managed to knee him in the kidney and stop Beck’s punch. Tron elbowed him and jabbed his sides with hard, fast punches. Beck didn’t - couldn’t - fight back. Tron picked him up and slammed him against a rafter. Somehow, he managed to tie one of Beck’s arms to the wooden beam.  
Tron backed up and pulled out a sword - Beck’s sword. He tossed it up, where it lodged in a higher beam.  
“By the time you get out,” Tron said, “Dyson will be dead.”  
He closed his helmet, jumped to another beam, and clambered through the rafters on his way to Dyson.  
Beck struggled against his bonds. “Tron!” he shouted. “Don’t end the revolution before it has a chance to start!”  
The alarm gongs continued, strident as ever.

In another room, Pavel pulled levers and tugged on ropes, chuckling all the while. A hard kick knocked him to the ground and stopped the commotion.  
“Ow!” he shouted. “That really hurt!”  
“Trying to cause an emergency?” Paige said, hands on hips.  
“No, uh,” Pavel stammered. “I found them like this. It must have been the Rogue!”  
“Don’t insult me,” Paige said. She carefully replaced the ropes and levers to their normal positions. “You’ve been trying to undermine Tesler since the moment Dyson landed.”  
“Lies.” Pavel stood up.  
“I have proof in my diary. How about I show Tesler? How fast do you think he’d throw you into the Games?”  
“Wait. Isn’t it obvious? Tesler’s on his way out, and when he goes down, his most loyal soldiers are taking the plunge with him,” Pavel said. “But it doesn’t have to be that way. Not for us!”  
“You really want to form a secret alliance with me?” Paige asked skeptically.  
“Maybe?”  
“It is amazing how you keep finding new ways to disgust me,” she said. Paige turned away and walked out of the room. “Oh. And no.”

Beck struggled against his bonds. The rope was strong, but Tron had tied Beck so he could move fairly freely - only one arm was connected. His grunts of effort floated down from the rafters.  
“Rogue,” Dyson said as he walked down the steps. “I know you’re here. Why don’t you come out?”  
He continued down the steps. “You see me, I’m not hiding.” Dyson chuckled. “So you’ve tricked a meager few into thinking you’re Tron.” He knelt and used magic to reveal footprints. “We both know that’s a lie.”  
Dyson looked up and caught a glimpse of Tron’s emblem. He ran over to it. “You’re just playing dress up, wearing a dead man’s…” Dyson trailed off as he approached the symbol. Three fuses attached to three explosives wore down. “...emblem.”  
The bombs exploded.  
As Pavel and Paige entered the room, they were stopped by a fallen piece of the ceiling. The rafters shook and barrels tumbled from their places. Walls groaned and the debris continued to fall.  
Beck continued to strain against his bond. The rafter he stood upon broke and flung him off the edge. He hung there, suspended by the tight, chafing rope. Beck glanced up at where Tron had wedged his sword into the rafter - now further away than ever.  
Dyson, down in the storage room, crawled to his knees and panted.

In the darkness of the room above the cells, Dyson’s knife flashed as it did its agonizing work. It reflected torchlight from the wall sconces. Occasionally, the light reached to the thin opening in the doorway.  
Outside, two soldiers stood guard.  
“Everyone else screams. Why doesn’t he?” the shorter of the two asked.  
“He’s Tron.”  
“Tron?”  
Tron stayed silent, except for a single grunt as Dyson stopped slicing into him.  
“You haven’t said a word,” Dyson chuckled. “I’m starting to think you don’t like me anymore.”  
“What have you done to them?” Tron said, panting.  
“Who? Oh, our team. Um, it’s just Clu’s latest project. He calls it, uh, ‘reconditioning.’”  
“How many have you reconditioned?”  
“Under your command? Everyone.” Dyson said. He turned back, knife in hand. “You are Flynn’s last knight… old friend.”  
Dyson stepped back as Tron pulled on his bonds and growled - no, roared - at him. The effort made his voice shake. “If I’m next, then get it over with already.”  
“No,” Dyson said. “Reconditioning is crude. Leaves little of the personality intact. I’d rather you’d join Clu willingly.”  
“Never.”  
“Are you blind?” Dyson asked. He brandished the knife and leaned in to continue the torture. “By overthrowing Flynn, Clu will bring order to the kingdom! Only through perfection can all people be truly liberated!”  
“You’re delusional, Dyson,” Tron said. “Clu didn’t improve your face - he made you harder to look at!”  
Dyson brought the knife up to Tron’s face. “I didn’t wanna do this, but you forced my hand.” He grabbed Tron’s head and yanked it to face him. “I’m going to show you what it’s like to be imperfect.”  
Once again, the knife flashed and red-orange torchlight glinted off it. Tron grunted openly now - this pain was much, much worse than the reopening of the semi-healed gashes in his torso.  
Shortly later, Dyson strolled out of the room and addressed the guards. “Take him to the throne room.”  
The soldiers obeyed. They walked in to move Tron, still on a stretcher. As the shorter one placed his hand on Tron’s shoulder, he turned to face him. A huge wound stretched from below his ear to the center of his forehead, deep enough to make his eye nearly invisible through the mangled skin.  
The soldier gasped and looked away.  
Both soldiers carried the stretcher onto a dragon. The dragon took off, its wingbeats only slightly concealing the shouts of Clu and his followers.  
“Rejoice, my soldiers! You have been reconditioned into a supreme army! Together, we will cleanse the kingdom of imperfection. Together, we will wipe out the agents of chaos!”  
Dyson watched the dragon as it passed over the snowfields. One of its wings faltered and hung useless, and it spiraled to a crash in the mountains.  
“How…?” Dyson exclaimed, then quieted. “Goodbye, old friend.”

As Dyson knelt, panting, on the ground, Tron grabbed his head and pulled it up to face him. Dyson pulled away and put on his helmet, just before Tron, now also helmeted, punched him.  
Tron managed to punch Dyson again, elbow him hard in the gut, and kick him back. Dyson nearly struck Tron with a punch and a kick, but Tron, though injured, was fast. He hit Dyson and was hit on the arm in return. Dyson stayed low and went for more, but Tron skillfully dodged and kicked Dyson.  
Once Dyson had been forced back, Tron pulled out a knife and threw it at him.  
Dyson knocked it aside with his sword, then whipped out a mace that Tron ducked beneath. He swung the ball-and-chain menacingly, in sharp arcs that kicked up dust and smoke. Tron backed away.

Above the two soldiers, Beck hung and reached up for his sword. The rafter creaked and cracked a bit more.

Dyson swung his mace again, releasing more of the chain. It swept behind Tron, who yelled and jumped forward, away from it. Dyson stomped hard on the chain, which snapped forward. The metal ball at the end struck Tron hard on the back.  
He fell to the ground.  
Dyson jumped over and held his knife to Tron’s throat. Tron tilted his head away, his helmet obscuring his face.  
“Show yourself, Rogue. I’d like to see you before you’re dead,” Dyson said.  
As Tron lay there, still helmeted, Dyson taunted him again.  
“Come on, Rogue! Tron wouldn’t have given up this easily.”  
Tron scissor-kicked Dyson and threw him aside. He picked up his fallen sword and swung.  
Dyson wound up with his mace.

Beck swung himself forward, still reaching for his sword. The rafter continued to crack, but his sword looked like it had loosened. He grabbed onto the rafter with both hands.

Dyson threw the mace out, and Tron batted it aside with his sword. Tron dodged the next swing, jumped aside, and was caught by the chain momentarily. Dyson threw the mace forward, and Tron ducked back, then grabbed the chain and cut it with his sword. He held the iron ball on the right and his sword in his left hand, then ran at Dyson.

Using the momentum from the creaking rafter, Beck swung forward and kicked the rafter holding his sword hard. The sword broke loose and fell. He caught it in one hand and held it close. The sword’s edge quickly cut through the rope, and Beck was free.

Tron swung his sword at Dyson, then followed with a near-hit from the iron ball and a kick to the gut.

Beck jumped down from the rafter, landed on one of the top shelves, and ran across it. He climbed back into the rafters when there were no shelves to follow, but confronted a stretch where the rafter had all but completely fallen.

Tron kicked Dyson again, then knocked him to the ground. As Dyson lay on the ground, nearly helpless, Tron stalked forward and removed his helmet.  
Dyson took in the ugly scar stretching Tron’s face and marring his eye.  
“No!” Dyson said. “No, it’s not possible! I watched you die!”  
“You watched me die?” Tron said. “I’ll watch you die!” He continued forward.

Beck judged the distance and jumped across the rafter. He landed precariously on hands and knees.

“You may have escaped,” Dyson said as he inched backward, “but it’s not much of a life, is it, Tron?”  
Tron only growled and stepped forward in reply.  
“Let me guess. You live in a cave, with only spells to sustain you. Other people don’t need magic healing - they’ll just take longer to recover. But you’ll die without it,” Dyson continued. He backed up, now standing. “That was my gift. A curse I put on you as a safeguard. I can fix you, make you perfect again, if you’ll join us, join Clu!” Dyson held out his hand.  
Tron swatted it aside. “I’d rather stay like this forever than be the puppet of a tyrant!”  
Dyson took another step back and felt his armor clink against a wall. With no other option, he rushed Tron.  
Tron grabbed his arm from the hasty strike, then hurled Dyson over his shoulder and back to the ground. Before he could recover, he grabbed his arm, and lifted him off the ground.

As Beck scrambled to a stop on the shelves above them, he gasped.  
“No, Tron.”

Tron held Dyson up, his left hand ready with his sword.  
Dyson looked into Tron’s eyes and saw the damage he’d inflicted on his body - and his mind.

The dragon was falling.  
Tron lay, bound to the stretcher and too weak to move. The shorter guard untied him and lifted the stretcher. Tron collapsed onto his shoulder.  
“Who are you?” he grunted.  
“The name’s Cyrus. I’m a friend.”  
“You.. You work for Dyson! For Clu!” Tron heaved.  
“Not anymore.” Cyrus supported Tron’s weight and opened a pair of glider sails. “Now jump!”  
They hung, suspended in the air, as the dragon crashed into the mountain. When they landed, Cyrus carefully dragged Tron into the shelter of a rock outcropping.  
“Hey, stay with me,” Cyrus said.  
Tron was breathing lightly - the blood loss was bad.  
“That’s it. We’re going to be all right.”  
“You did this,” Tron whispered. “Why?”  
“We can’t let your revolution end before it has a chance to start,” Cyrus said.

Tron blinked the memory away and sheathed his sword. The fury left his eyes and he dropped Dyson.  
“You’re only alive for one reason,” he rumbled. “To deliver a message.”  
Beck watched as Tron said something more, then walked away. Beck backed into the shadows and turned to follow.  
Dyson knelt, panting, eyes wide.

General Tesler, Lady Paige, and Pavel walked back through the fortress.  
“Sir, I’ve lost track of Dyson,” Lady Paige said. “I take full responsibility.”  
“It’s a shame she let you down, your excellency,” Pavel said.  
“What are you talking about?” Tesler asked. “Paige, you’ve outdone yourself.”  
“Wait. Did Dyson leave Argon?”  
“Long gone, quaking in fear. I should have you two work together more often.”  
Paige and Pavel frowned at each other.

Tron stood, eyes closed, in the healing chamber. The scars’ edges knit together and closed by the power of the healing spells in the room.  
Beck waited just outside, slumped against the wall, but armored again.  
Tron walked out of the chamber and flexed his hand carefully.  
“It was never about getting Dyson’s information, was it?” Beck said.  
“No,” Tron said. “We both know what I was looking for.”  
He set his hand gently on Beck’s shoulder. Beck’s eyes flickered fearfully to the contact.  
“I owe you thanks.” Tron patted Beck’s shoulder gently. “And an apology.”  
As Tron continued into the main area of the hideout, Beck stood where he was. “So, does this mean I get time off?”  
Tron chuckled. “What do you think?”

Dyson’s ship docked at the capital city. He moved quickly, and soon entered Clu’s palace. Within the innermost room, he found the emperor with only a single guard.  
The opulent gold room reflected Dyson’s scowl. “I’ve just returned from Argon with a message from an old friend. I saw him with my own eyes.” He paused. “Tron lives.”  
“Interesting,” Clu said. He didn’t bother to turn from his window surveying the kingdom. “Who else knows about this?”  
Dyson looked to the guard. The guard raised his hands, but not in time for Dyson to stop. Dyson plunged his knife into the guard’s chest.  
“Nobody,” he said quickly. “Only us.”  
“Good,” Clu said. His smile was an eerie imitation of the king’s - only mirrored. “Let’s keep it that way.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I may have to go on a hiatus but I'm hoping to get the rest of the chapters done so I don't - I still love Tron Uprising but this is a bigger project than I thought, lol.


	11. Grounded

The tolling bell was met with a response of silence. Almost silent, however, except for the young woman running through the mostly-empty streets. She paused, winded, as a squad of soldiers and one soldier mounted on an eagle pursued her. As the soldiers caught up to her, she ran to the bridge and jumped off.

She landed on one of the bridge’s supports, but the soldiers jumped off into the water, expecting to find her there. The woman breathed a sigh of relief, her dark curly hair rising and falling with the motion, then turned to see another soldier standing right next to her.

She pushed him away and jumped into the water with a cry. Now wet and shivering in the night, she ran through the streets, but couldn’t shake the soldiers. An eagle landed beside her and the soldier atop it shouted, “You are in violation of curfew, citizen! Surrender immediately!”

Instead of responding, she ran, only to be met with a line of armed soldiers with staffs.

She stopped, her dark skin beaded with sweat.

One of the soldiers raised his staff and banged it on the ground. The large cobblestones around the woman disappeared, leaving a small patch of ground surrounded by a pit. A dragon descended from the dark sky, ready to carry her away.

The soldiers led the woman, along with several other Argon citizens, onto the back of a dragon.

“Is that all of them?” one of the guards asked.

“Affirmative.” 

“Next stop, Games,” the soldier said.

“You’re too late,” Beck said. He hurled an unconscious soldier off the dragon’s back, then jumped down in front of the guards.

The soldiers raised their staffs.

Beck raised his hands. “Now, let’s just talk about this.” The soldiers hesitated, and he dropped them with a sweeping kick to their heads. “Fine, have it your way.”

He stood up, only to be met with another guard and a soldier. The guard swung his sword at Beck, who dodged the strike, then caught the soldier’s staff and used it as leverage to throw the soldier to the ground.

As a group of soldiers closed in around him, he knocked the legs out from under them with the staff.

“Surrender, rogue,” a reinforcement guard said.

“This better work,” Beck muttered. He raised the staff and banged it against the ground. The cobblestones around him fell away, taking the guards with them. “Huh. It worked.”

Beck used the distraction to reach the prisoners.

“You’re really him!” the woman gasped.

Beck cut through her bonds with his sword. “The one and only.” He continued through the small group and cut each prisoner’s bonds. “You meant Tron, right?”

“How do I thank you?” she asked.

“Next time, don’t get caught. And tell your friends.” Beck mounted his horse and galloped away.

“Tell them what?” the woman asked. “Tell them what?!”

“Tron lives, General. It’s true,” the guard said.

“Impossible!” General Tesler said.

“But I saw him with-”

Tesler stood up. “Are you calling me a liar?”

“You’re not a liar, sir, I just-” The guard groaned as Tesler grabbed his head. He stalked to the window and gripped the soldier's helmet tighter. Threads of magic, like molten iron, twisted and glowed with heat.

On the other end of the room, Paige and Pavel watched nervously.

As the heat from Tesler’s magic increased, the soldier screamed and tried to pry his hand off. But soon his screams stopped, and Tesler dropped the half-melted corpse.

“Pavel, get someone in here to clean this mess up,” Tesler said, inspecting his hand with satisfaction.

“Right away, your voraciousness.”

“There’s been too many rumors,” Tesler said. “Too much chatter about this. ‘Tron lives.’ It’s time  _ we _ deliver a message.”

In the playing field outside of the stables, two sentries played a ball game while the high fence separating the field forced the stablehands to watch.

“Ah, I can’t take it,” Zed said. “They’ve been in that field since we got here. It’s their nineteenth game!”

“You’ve been counting?” Mara laughed.

“Of course I’ve been counting! It’s called ‘court etiquette’?” Zed said. “Where’s that Rogue when we  _ really _ need him?”

Beck fidgeted. “Maybe he’s taking a break. I’m sure he’s got friends too.”

“Friends? Him?” Zed scoffed. “Seriously, if he were my friend, I’d still be the first person to turn him in.”

_ Well, there goes that plan. _

A dragon swept down to the ground beside them. A crier shouted the words of General Tesler from atop its back. “Greetings, citizens. I address you now not only as your general, but also as a resident of this magnificent city. Like all of you, I want nothing more than to see Argon prosper. This, I’m afraid, won’t be possible if we surrender our streets to masked vigilantes.”

Throughout Argon, other criers read the same message.

“This Rogue has made our city unsafe. And who has to pay for this relentless campaign of terror? You. The hardworking citizens of Argon.”

The criers showed a small series of portraits. “These people were apprehended disobeying curfew. A curfew put in place because of the Rogue’s selfish, destructive activities. But I see no reason why they should be punished for the actions of one malcontent. Which is why I will exonerate these prisoners and abolish all curfews… if the Rogue surrenders himself in Argon Square by midnight. Consider it a show of good faith, from me, your benevolent leader, to all of you.”

Beck stared defiantly at the crier.

“Are you listening, Renegade? Fail to show up, and these people take their chances at the Games. You say you’re fighting for them. Prove it.”

“It’s about time!” Zed exclaimed. “Beck, you’re on my team.” He picked up the ball and threw it to Mara. Mara didn’t turn, but Beck caught the ball just before it hit the back of her head.

“Ooh! Sorry.”

Beck threw and caught the ball thoughtfully.

Pavel stood beside General Tesler as soldiers led the captured prisoners away. “Excellent elocution, General. A stirring address. But how do you know the Rogue will take the bait?”

“Because he has no choice,” Tesler said.

“What do you mean you have no choice?” Tron exclaimed from within his healing chamber. The spells distorted his voice.

“I can’t let Tesler just send those people to the Games. Not if I can save them,” Beck said. He leaned dejectedly on one of the tables.

“He’s baiting you, Beck. You show up, and you’ll be walking into a trap.”

“I never said it’d be easy.” He turned to Tron. “Tron doesn’t give up. Never has, never will. It’s time the city knows that.”

“Fine,” Tron said. “But we’ll need a strategy. Tesler will be expecting you at midnight. You need to reach those hostages before then.”

“No problem. I’ll get Zed to cover me at the stable.”

“Make it quick,” Tron said. He stepped out of the healing chamber. “We’re out of time, and you’re no good to anyone if you’re dead.”

Beck laughed half-heartedly. “Don’t take this personally, but your pep talks could use some improvement.”

Tron crossed his arms. “Just hurry back.”

Lady Paige stalked through the halls of the fortress.

“Stop, you’re not authorized--” The guard lifted his hand, but Paige knocked him aside, grabbed his staff, and opened the door.

“Sorry, Paige, but it’s appointment only. I’m afraid you’ll have to wait outside.” Pavel stood beside General Tesler, who was drawing magic from various objects.

“Touch me, and those sentries will be cleaning your blood from the floor.”

Pavel hurried out of her way.

“Paige, don’t worry,” General Tesler said. “Pavel’s just helping me with a few minor spell improvements.”

“I’m not worried, General,” Paige said. “Just confused as to why Pavel thinks he can waste your time with improvements that are entirely unnecessary. You said yourself, he’s not Tron.”

“Well, he might be Tron,” Pavel said.

“Pavel.”

“Probably not, you’re right, but just in case he is, that’s what these are for.”

The magic transfer finished, and when Tesler stood up, his hands glowed even brighter and hotter. “I don’t care if he’s Flynn himself. He’s still going to die… a magnificent death.”

Beck rode into the stables, then ran through the halls until he crashed into--

“Able!” Beck said.

Boxes of supplies and tools fell to the ground.

“I’m sorry, I’ll find someone to help you pick all this up.”

“Beck, stop. You’re late -- again.”

“I know, and - I’m sorry.” Beck said.

“Look at you, Beck, you’re hardly ever on time!”

Beck looked around for Zed.

“And when you are on time, you’re unfocused. Responsibility may mean nothing to you…” Able continued.

Beck sighed.

“But to me, it’s serious. That’s why I’m grounding you.”

“Wait, what?”  _ He can’t ground me! I have no time - those people will die if I don’t free them! _

“Until tomorrow, you’re to stay here at the stables. Working. No exceptions.”

“This isn’t happening!” Beck said.

“It most certainly is.”

Able led Beck into the main part of the stables, where Zed was inspecting a horse.

“Help Zed with whatever he needs. Do not leave his side.” Able said. “And remember! I’m keeping my eye on you.”

Zed tapped his hand on the floor, reaching for a tool. Beck handed it to him.

“So let me get this straight. Helping me is your punishment?”

“Looks that way.”

“Come on,” Zed said. “Able can’t punish you for at least looking like you’re helping, right?”

“I’m sure he’ll find a way,” Beck said.

“Can you really blame him?”

“Yeah.” Beck said. He looked to make sure Able wasn’t looking.

“It’s just, you’re always late. And that’s only when you actually bother to show up at all.”

“I’ve been late plenty of times. He’s never held me captive,” Beck said.  _ Just like the others Tesler captured. _

“Captive? You’re not a hostage, Beck. You’re a stablehand. This is your job!” Zed said. “I’m genuinely surprised he hasn’t fired you yet.”

“Hey, Beck, are you okay?” Mara said. “I heard Able came down hard on you.”

“You heard?” Beck asked. “Wait, who else knows?”

“Well-” Mara said. “Everybody.”

“I don’t believe this.” Beck said.

“Me neither. No offense to Beck, but you’d think everyone would be talking about the Rogue surrender!” Zed smiled.

“What’s gotten you in such a good mood?” Mara asked, frowning.

“I thought I just said it.” Zed continued to smile, but it looked fake now.

“Anyway, can I borrow you?” Mara asked Zed. “I need someone with small, feminine hands.”

“I’m your guy,” Zed said.

As they left, Beck turned and headed for the stablehands’ room. He started to pull Tron’s armor out from under the blanket, then froze when Able said, “This better not be what it looks like.”

Beck sighed. “Had to get my toolbelt. You know, to help Zed.” He shoved the armor back under the blanket.

“Beck, whatever you have that you think is more important, it’s not.”

“Trust me, it is,” Beck said.

“Why should I trust you when you insist on lying to my face?” Able said.

Beck sighed again and looked away.

“Look, what happened to Bodhi… has been hard on all of us.” Able put his hand on Beck’s arm.

“This isn’t about Bodhi,” Beck said. He pulled away.

Able raised his hands. “You’re right. It’s about you. I’m punishing you for a reason, Beck. I wish you could see that. I’m trying to help!”

“Then maybe you shouldn’t.” Beck stared at Able, challenging him.

“Let’s go. Back to work.”

“Fine.” Beck said.

Tron held the spyglass up to his eye and looked over the city. “Come on, Beck. Where are you?”

He kept checking the faces of anyone he saw, but with no luck.

“Where’s everyone going?” Beck asked. It was starting to get dark, and all the stablehands were filing out of their various rooms.

“It’s almost time,” Mara said sadly.

“Yeah, time for everyone in Argon to find out what a fraud this Rogue really is.”

“You don’t think there’s even a chance he could actually be Tron?” Mara asked Zed.

“Not only am I certain he’s no Tron, but I’m betting on him not even showing up at all!” Zed said.

Mara laughed bitterly. “You’ve got a real upbeat perspective, you know that, Zed?”

She walked off without waiting for him to follow.

“I suppose there’s always a chance,” Zed said, too loudly. “Just, not a big chance.”

Beck watched him go.  _ Not a big chance. Ha. _

“Beck, don’t get any ideas,” Able said. “I’m leaving Link here to watch the stables. I need to know I can trust you to stay here.”

“Of course,” Beck said.

“I want your word, Beck.”

“I promise.”  _ After all, it’ll be the Rogue leaving, not Beck. _

Dragons flew overhead at the square as the people of Argon chatted and waited. The dragons landed on either side of the square and lit torches to illuminate the posters of Clu on the building walls.

“General, let me handle the Rogue. He’s not worth your effort,” Paige said.

“Just keep everyone out of my way,” Tesler said. “It could get ugly.” He smiled.

Beck walked out the main doors of the stable.

“Beck,” Link said. “I promised Able I’d keep you here.”

“And I promised Able I’d stay. Looks like we’re both gonna have to break our promise.” Beck said.

“Well, I can’t stop you, but I have to tell Able if he asks. I don’t wanna lie to him.”

“I know,” Beck said softly. “And you shouldn’t have to.”

“I can’t blame you for wanting to get a glimpse of Tron in action,” Link said sadly. “Me, I’ve seen him. But this could be your last chance. This could be Argon’s last chance.”

Link turned, only to see Beck had already left.

“Citizens of Argon,” General Tesler announced. “Your support in coming out to such a momentous occasion proves that you care deeply about the future of your city. But I can’t help but notice the absence of one of you. Where … is … the Rogue? You see? The Rogue doesn’t care about any of you, and he’s certainly no Tron. If he were, he’d be here. But let’s not dwell on the past. Instead, let us look to a new era. An era of achievement, of perfection… of Clu!”

As the poster of Clu rippled in the wind, Beck flew his wyvern straight through it.

Then he jumped to the ground in the midst of the crowd. “What’d I miss?”

He stood tall as General Tesler left his seat on the center dragon and walked out to him. Soldiers led the captive people off the dragon in view of the crowd.

“You wanted me? Here I am!”

“I see that.” General Tesler said. “You certainly took your time.”

“You’ve got what you want. Let the prisoners go,” Beck said.

“Normally, I don’t negotiate with enemies of the state. But, I’m a man of my word. They’re free.”

The soldiers released the captives.

“And the curfew?” Beck said.

“Let’s not get greedy. The deal was  _ surrender _ .” General Tesler shook his cloak off his shoulders. “I’ve been waiting for this for a very long time. The end of the infamous Rogue.”

“Sorry to disappoint,” Beck said, “but I’m no Rogue. I’m Tron!” He pointed at Tesler. “Now shut up and fight!”

“Let’s finish this somewhere more private.”

Tesler gave a signal, and the guards slammed down their staffs, making the cobblestones retreat and sending both Beck and Tesler into a stone pit underground.

Beck was knocked to the ground.

“You trust too easily. You think those people up there will fight by your side? Their loyalty is to the state. I rule the state.”

Beck nearly got up, but Tesler slammed his fists to the ground to either side of him with a battle cry.

Beck stumbled away, then clumsily avoided the next hit and grabbed a bar knocked free of the wreckage. Tesler took it from him and crushed it, chuckling.

Tesler grounded his boots and raised one arm.

“Wait, wait - hang on,” Beck said, as fiery energy surrounded Tesler. Tesler released a huge bolt of fire and Beck only barely dodged it. Tron’s armor had heated up a bit from the intense energy.

Tesler continued to blast fire at Beck, but he had recovered and ran away from them. While Tesler was aiming, Beck threw a knife and hit Tesler’s hand. Tesler’s shot went awry, nearly hitting the crowd.

Beck ran and tackled Tesler, but the larger man turned over and crushed him against a wall. He punched at Beck’s head, but Beck ducked away and hit Tesler rapidly on the side. Tesler grabbed him again, and his hand heated up.

“This ends now.”

Beck managed to punch Tesler hard in the jaw.

“Oh…” Tesler said, then increased his grip.

Silver metal beaded around Tesler’s fingers, heated by the fiery energy. Beck felt his armor heating up, even though it had been enchanted. He groaned in pain.

The crowd watched nervously.

Beck was sweating now. His breath came in gasps as metal melted against his torso and head. He threw another desperate punch, but Tesler caught his hand and began to melt it as well.

Beck gave a strangled cry.

Tesler turned and threw Beck against another wall, still holding on with his hands of molten magic. Beck’s skin began to blister as his armor melted around him.

“You’re no Tron, but you’re about to share his fate,” Tesler said.

The crowd stared, almost everyone looking on, horrified.

Hoofbeats echoed through the pit as a figure in a black cloak, riding a horse, galloped through and swung a sword through Tesler’s magic hand.

Tesler gasped.

Both Beck and Tesler bent over, panting and gasping for breath.

“Oh… ooh... “ Tesler grunted.

“You want this to end?” Beck said through gritted teeth. “Then come on. Let’s end it.”

The mysterious rider’s horse whinnied.

“Another time,” Tesler said.

The crowd murmured as Tesler walked off and Beck stood, his armor slowly restoring itself.  _ Luckily, my helmet didn’t melt off and reveal my face. _

Beck looked over at the rider who’d saved him, but the horse and its rider had left.

Pavel took advantage of the silence. “All hail the indomitable General Tesler! Your victor in this electrifying encounter! Now get back to your homes. All of you!”

No one in the crowd cheered.

“There’s a curfew still in effect!”

Pavel’s words did nothing. The crowd lingered in the square, slowly dispersing until only one person was left.

One of the captives, the woman who Beck had saved, stayed staring at the ground where Beck had nearly died.

“You’ve changed things, Beck.”

“How so? Tesler nearly beat me. I doubt he’ll be lifting the curfew anytime soon.” Beck sat, mostly curled up, as Tron’s armor continued to regenerate. “From where I’m sitting, it looks like square one.”

“Standing up to Tesler showed those people that they don’t have to sit idly by. They can choose to fight. And when they do, they’ll have you to fight beside. You were right, Beck.”

“I suppose I should thank you for saving my life. For the fifth time,” Beck said, in a lighter tone.

“What are you talking about?” Tron said.

“Okay, okay, sixth. But I’m not counting Pergos. I had that gang under control.”

“Beck, I’ve been here this whole time,” Tron said. He actually sounded… confused.

“But then if it wasn’t you…” Beck said.

“Uh, you need a hand?” Zed offered to Mara. “I’ve got some time before my shift starts.”

Mara stopped leaning against the elephant she’d been working with. “Oh! Yeah, if you don’t mind.”

“I don’t.” Zed hurried over. “I’m sorry about before. You were right. I shouldn’t have said those things about the Rogue being…”

“Beck!” Mara exclaimed.

Sure enough, Beck was walking over to his friends.

“Where have you been? Able has been looking all over,” Mara said.

“I heard. I’m avoiding him.” Beck said.

“And what better place to avoid him than his own stables?” Zed said sarcastically.

“Beck!” Able said. “My office. Now.”

Beck slumped a bit and obeyed.

“I sure wouldn’t want to be Beck right now,” Zed said.

Mara chuckled.

“Have a seat.”

Beck sat down and started to form an excuse. “Look, I know I messed up, but--”

“Beck, stop. What I have to say, I hoped I’d never have to say. So here goes.”

Beck and Able stared at each other.

“How did you become the Rogue?”

Beck gasped and looked away. Tears began to form.  _ He knows - how does he know? Why? What did I do? _

“It’s okay, Beck. I know.”

“How, how long have you known?”

“Too long. I was foolish to think I could keep you here. To think I could protect you.”

“It was you!” Beck said. “On the horse! You took out Tesler!”  
“Now, how could an old man like me possibly manage a stunt like that?” Able said.

“About what happened before,” Beck said. “I’m sorry I lost my temper.”

“Forget it. I’m sorry you had to carry this secret for so long. That couldn’t have been easy.”

“It wasn’t,” Beck agreed. “So, now what?”

“Well, I think you and I have a lot to talk about. When you’re ready.”


	12. We Both Know How This Ends

In General Tesler’s fortress, guards marched through the thick-walled building and war elephants stood in their stables. Beck walked between the tree trunk legs of the elephants, looked for any guards, then climbed up to the elephant’s neck. He pulled a bottle from his tool pack.

“All right, Tron,” he said. He fed the elephant the contents of the bottle. “I hope this works.”

The elephant’s eyes grew drowsy and dim. Beck jumped down.

A soldier was waiting for him beside the elephant’s foot.

“Uh, I..” Beck started. “This isn’t my elephant. Sorry for the mix up.” He patted the guard’s shoulder. “Carry on.”

The guard signaled to a second guard on the other side of the elephant. Beck sighed. “Okay, you got me.”

Instead of surrendering, however, he knocked each guard unconscious and dragged them behind the elephant. It was too late. Already, he could hear guards stomping his way.

A keen-edged dagger flew past his helmeted face.

“You wouldn’t leave without saying goodbye, would you?” Pavel said. He chuckled.

“So much for a quiet exit,” Beck muttered.

“How about a quiet death instead?” Pavel asked. He threw another dagger, and Beck pressed himself against the elephant’s leg to avoid it. A quiet whistle called Beck’s horse. He mounted it and charged forward.

“After him!” Pavel shouted.

Beck rode for the gates, but the heavy portcullis was already closed. He turned the horse away and avoided the feet of the elephants. All of the elephants had soldiers atop them now, armed with strong crossbows.

“Get him!” Pavel said.

Beck sat atop his horse, unable to get away.  _ Sure hope that elixir worked. _

Before the soldiers could fire, the elephants swayed and collapsed to their knees.

“Huh,” he said. He spurred on his horse and galloped out of the circle of elephants. Pavel grunted with displeasure as Beck cantered down the open front gateway.

“I think I’m getting the hang of this,” Beck said.

Able sat in his office silently, staring at the wooden scroll container. As Mara returned to the stables, she sighed.

“No respect,” she said, looking over the untidy workspace. “If the second shift thinks I’m gonna come in and clean up after them…”

Able walked into the room and cleared his throat. “Mara.”

Mara started. “Able! Uh, I didn’t hear you come in.”

“I need to take care of some business I should have taken care of a long time ago. Have Beck or Zed come in yet?”

“No. Not yet. But I… will let them know you’re looking for them,” Mara said. 

Able sighed, frustrated. “There’s no time. I’m already late. You’re in charge.”

“Me?”

“What other choice do I have? It’s going to be a slow day, so you shouldn’t have any trouble.” Able mounted his carriage. “Well, she’s all yours, Mara.”

“I won’t let you down.”

“I know you won’t.”

Able’s carriage rolled out of the stables.

As the day lightened, the stablehands filed in and got to work. Soon the sounds of animals and work filled the stables.

“So then, this one man who’s been there the whole time goes, ‘Ya know, that’s not mead you’ve been drinking,” Zed said. He laughed.

Beck forced a chuckle. “Wait, I don’t get it.”

“What do you mean you don’t get it?”

“You’re late,” Mara said. “Both of you.”

“So?” Zed said. “Did Able say something?”

“No. But he left a list of things that need to get done while he’s gone.”

“Able’s gone?” Zed asked. He looked at Beck.

“Where’d he go?” Beck said.

“That’s … not important.”

Beck and Zed looked at each other.

“You don’t know, do you?” Zed asked.

“Uh, what I do know is he left me in charge.” She crossed her arms. “So, can I count on you to help me out?”

“Of course.” Zed said.

“What do you need us to do?”

“Well, the gate in the back is broken,” Mara said.

“Done. When we’re finished it’ll be as good as new.” Zed assured her.

“Thanks, guys.” Mara rushed off to start work on some other project.

“Give me a break, Zed. What do you know about gates?”

“Nothing. Which explains why it’s broken in the first place.”

Beck smirked wryly.

Able’s carriage crept along the rocky outcroppings of the mountains. Wind tore around him, threatening to knock the carriage off its precarious perch. He held his course.

A small roach, red with large pinchers, crawled along the roof of the carriage. It dropped onto Able and pinched hard. Able slapped at it, but in the process dropped the reins. The horses pulling his carriage ran carelessly forward, and the carriage teetered on the brink of the abyss.

“Cockroaches,” Able said disdainfully as he crushed the pest.

He steered the horses away from the edge, but the carriage was stuck. The rocks it stood on began to crumble. Able climbed out and threw a pack onto the steady ground, just as the ropes broke and the carriage plummeted.

He pulled himself up, put the pack on his back, and consulted a map. Then, in the freezing winds and snow, he trudged onward.

Safe in the stablehands’ break room, Zed, Beck, and a few other workers sat and talked.

“So, finally, the one guy goes, ‘You know, that’s not  _ mead _ you’ve been drinking.’ Huh?” Zed finished.

Almost simultaneously, the other workers said, “I don’t get it.”

“See?” Beck said.

“What do you mean, you don’t get it?”

“Maybe you’re telling it wrong.”

“Well, that was quick,” Mara said.

“Aah,” Zed yelped.

“Yeah, about the gate,” Beck said. “Zed, you tell her.”

“Nothing to tell! It seemed to look just fine when we checked it, so…”

“You haven’t fixed it, have you?” Mara said.

“We were just about to start.” Beck said.

“Start?!”

“See? I told you she’d be upset!” Zed said.

“Hey, Mara,” one of the other workers said. “We could really use some time off this afternoon. If that’s okay.”

Mara sighed. “Did you finish with the eagle?”

“No, but we’ll finish it when we get back,” he said. “Besides, we can’t do anything until someone fixes that gate.”

“It- hm..” Zed said, unable to find a good excuse.

“Fine,” Mara relented. “But don’t take too long.”

“Thanks, Mara. You’re the best.”

Zed and Beck sat down.

“Uh, don’t you both have work to do?”

“You just gave Dash and Copper--” Zed started.

“Dash and Copper didn’t slack on the gates. Yeah, I know it was you.” Mara said.

“Oh, fine.” Zed said. “But only because I like you… as a friend. You’re my friend. I mean, uh, huh, what’s that, Dash?”

“Come on,” Beck said. “We’ve got plenty of time before Able gets back. Everything will get done. Don’t worry.”

As he spoke, loud wingbeats circled as dragons carrying Occupation soldiers landed at the stables. Pavel dismounted the lead dragon and marched forward with two soldiers.

“Okay, now you can worry,” Beck said.

“Can I help you?” Mara asked carefully.

“My elephants have been drugged by that perfidious provocateur, the Rogue. I need them healed immediately. It’s not easy work,” Pavel said. “But I’m sure you don’t need me to tell you that.”

“Nice one, Rogue. Real nice,” Beck muttered.  _ What other stable would they be brought to? _

“If you want to wait for Able-”

“What I want is for you to do your job. General Tesler needs these elephants in their best condition.”

Mara’s face fell. “No problem.”

“For your sake, I hope not.” Pavel got in her face. “I’ll be back for them before the end of your shift. And if they’re not completed by the time I return, well, there are far worse punishments than the Games, I can assure you.”

Pavel reached for Mara’s shoulder, but stopped as he spotted the hard frown on Beck’s face. He chuckled. “Such a shame.”

As Pavel turned to leave, he spoke, just loud enough for Mara and Beck to overhear. “Reliable stables are so hard to come by.”

Able stood in the snowy plain and checked his map to make sure he was in the right place. Then he set up a simple tent of white cloth and waited within.

“What’s the diagnosis?” Zed asked.

Mara stood beside the injured elephant, which lay still as a boulder. “It’s an irreversible elixir. I don’t know of any cure.”

“Irreversible.” Beck laughed bitterly. “Genius.”

“So what’s the plan?”

“We need to try anything we can on them. Look for something that reduces the effect - without hurting the elephants.”

“How long will that take?” Dash asked.

“I don’t know, but it’s our best option. And it’ll be faster if we work together. Figure this out as a team.”

“There’s no time.” Dash said. “We need to find replacements for these elephants, and quickly.”

“What do you think you’re doing?” Mara exclaimed. “Able put me in charge!”

“And that decision is gonna get us all executed,” Dash said.

“Easy, Dash. It’s not her fault. Able couldn’t have known this would happen,” Zed said.

“Well, it did happen! And I’m not gonna get sent to the Games for someone else’s mistake.” He walked through the gathered group. “Anyone who doesn’t want to get executed, come with me.”

Many of the stablehands followed Dash.

“Look, we can do this if we all just work together, and--” Mara said. “This isn’t the way Able would have wanted!”

Soon everyone had left besides Beck, Zed, and Mara.

“Thanks for your vote of confidence back there.”

The stables were chaos. Stablehands ran back and forth, desperately writing letters to bargain, or trying to awaken the drugged elephants. Link rubbed one of the elephant’s stomach with a poultice.

The elephant groaned.

“Hey, does anyone know if this is normal?” he asked.

One of the other stablehands said, “Hey, are you crazy?” as the elephant shook and slapped its trunk on the floor.

“Whew. It’s okay. I got it under control,” he said, as the elephant began to calm. Then the elephant trumpeted.

“Whoa!”

“Who’s doing that?”

Exclamations abounded as the elephant stampeded through the stables, and broke out into the plains.

Able pulled out his sword and scanned the horizon. Nothing was visible through the wind and sleet. He put it away and turned to enter the tent again.

“Ah!”

A man stood between him and the tent. Lean, clad in a long cloak that obscured his features, and taller than Able was, the sight was startling and intimidating. The man walked forward and removed his hood.

“Hello, Able,” Tron said.

Once both Tron and Able had entered the tent, Able rummaged through his pack. He pulled out the scroll container and tossed it to Tron.

“Here. For your healing chamber. This should buy you more time.”

“Tell me, why did you really call me here?” Tron asked.

“Because I want you to stop!” Able spat. “I know about Beck.”

“Beck’s training is essential,” Tron said.

“To what end? What’s your grand plan? If you have one at all.”

“Argon needs to be shown that they’re capable of fighting back.”

“Even if Beck’s executed in the process?”

“He knows the stakes.”

“We all know the stakes! But only one of us seems concerned about the consequences.”

One of the tent’s stakes ripped free in the wind. It scratched a long rip in the tent, and let the wind and snow in.

“Beck is not ready for this! And you know it!” Able nearly shouted. “We both know how this ends.”

Outside the tent, thousands of clattering legs pushed against the wind on their way to the tent and its occupants.

Mara groaned as the other stablehands continued their frantic work. “I am gonna get everyone sent to the Games. I just wanted to prove to Able that I could handle this!”

“We know you did,” Zed said. “It’s not your fault Link scared off the eagle.”

Beck elbowed him. “Or that Zed set an elephant loose.”

“What did you say?” Mara said.

“Zed set an elephant loose?” Beck repeated.

“Oh, like you’re so perfect?”

Mara left them and ran over to Link. “Link! I need your help.”

“You do?” he asked.

“You do?” both Zed and Beck exclaimed.

“Your elephant. How did you get it to wake up?”

“I don’t know. It was an accident.”

“Show me. Show me exactly what you did.” Mara ordered him.

“I can’t keep helping you like this. Not if you continue to involve Beck,” Able said.

“You can’t?” Tron asked. “Or you won’t?”

“I won’t watch him become another one of your mistakes!” Able’s voice rose. “You’re leaving me no choice.”

“You’ve always had a choice,” Tron said. He rested his left hand against his sword. “You’re just not making the right one.”

Able drew his sword.

Tron did the same.

“Not me, dummy! Cockroaches!”

Tron turned to see a tide of insect bodies swarming through the hole. Cockroaches crawled over the tent, headed for the heat and light inside of it. Tron and Able stood back to back and swung. Their swings felled dozens of bugs, but more filled the tent to continue harassing the men.

“There’s too many of them!” Able said.

“Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” Tron asked.

“Let’s get this over with.”

Tron dashed out of the tent and mounted his horse. Able followed, then pulled on the tent stakes. The tent collapsed, and the roaches were trapped within it.

Tron and Able rode further away.

“Next time we meet, I choose the location,” Tron said.

Link rubbed small amounts of salve onto the elephant’s belly. The elephant twitched.

“There. Just like before,” Link said.

“That’s why the other elephant ran off! The salve drew the poison out and the elephant started to wake up, but it was confused and scared. If we can do the same with this one, and make sure it’s calm…” Mara said. She rubbed more salve onto the elephant and made soothing noises. The elephant moved again.

“Did it.. Did it work?” Beck asked.

In answer, the elephant slowly stood and regarded each of them.

“How much time do we have?”

“Not enough,” Mara said. “There are too many elephants.”

“We’ll get them done,” Zed said. “Beck and I can start on the others-” He broke off. Beck was nowhere to be seen.

Beck pulled the blankets off his armor. “All right, Rogue. You got us into this mess--”

“Hey!” Mara said.

Beck shoved the armor underneath the blankets again.

“Where are you going?”

“Don’t worry,” Beck said. “I’m gonna take care of this. Maybe I can recruit some more workers. In the meantime--”

“Not a chance.” Mara stepped up to Beck. “Your antics may have worked with Able, but not with me, and certainly not now. I’m in charge, and I will get these elephants healed. So if I were you, I would spend less time trying to avoid work, and more time trying to not get sent to the Games. Am I clear?”

“Crystal,” Beck said, taken aback.

“Good. Now get back out there.”

The sun had begun to descend. Mara stood in the middle of the stable area. “Everyone! Listen up.”

The workers looked up and turned their attention to her.

“I know today has been hard. And I know a lot of it’s my fault. I kept trying to make everyone happy, and be a friend, when you needed me to be a leader. But I won’t let you suffer for my mistake. If we don’t finish, I’ll take full responsibility and will go to the games in place of all of you. But if we work together, that won’t happen.”

“You know how to reverse what the Rogue did?” Dash asked skeptically.

Mara rubbed the elephant beside her with salve and helped it up. It gave a long, healthy bellow.

“Tell us what you need us to do,” Dash said.

As the sun set, Occupation dragons circled the stables and landed around it. Atop one of them, Pavel whispered, “The coliseum’s about to get  _ much  _ more crowded.”

He marched off the dragon with a squad of guards. “I’m feeling rather generous, so I’ll give you all a choice. You can either be executed right now, or wait until the Games.” He chuckled. “Up to you.”

“Your elephants are ready, Pavel, as instructed.” Mara stood tall in front of Pavel. “Fully healed.”

“We’ll see about that,” Pavel said. He brushed past her and looked through the ranks of elephants.

One of his soldiers walked up to him and whispered something. 

He shoved him aside. “Well, well. These elephants do look tip-top... “ Pavel said, then shouted. “Except for the one that’s missing!”

“I gave you twelve elephants to heal, but I only see eleven! So I’ll ask again. Be executed now, or at the Games?” Pavel put his face much too close to Mara’s.

“Sorry!” Zed shouted. “Last-minute washing!” He led the elephant forward to join the rest of them.

Pavel frowned. He stomped back to his dragon. “Looks like we’ve got what we need. Let’s move out.”

Under his breath, he muttered, “I truly loathe this place.”

The elephants followed the soldiers out of the stables.

“How did you--” Beck asked.

“Remember that gate I allegedly broke?” Zed said. “Well, I may have allegedly fixed it.”

The stables were calm again when Able rode in on a borrowed mule. He dismounted and gave Beck the reins. “You don’t mind returning it for me, do you?”

“Return it to who?” Beck asked.

“I think you know,” Able said.

Beck smiled.  _ Well, I’m not grounded anymore, I guess. _

Able walked over to Mara. “Well, I see the stables are still standing. I take it everything went smoothly?”

“Hmm, nothing out of the ordinary,” Mara lied.

“That’s a relief. From the looks of things, I made the right decision with you.”

“Uh, I thought you said you didn’t have a choice?” Mara said.

“I didn’t. I knew you could handle it. My first and only choice.” He headed for his office. “I’m glad I was right.”

“Me too,” Mara said.


	13. The Stranger

“Beck, I need you to leave Argon and go straight to Gallium. There’s a pickup I need you to make,” Able said.

“Gallium?” Beck asked. “But that’s way out in the outlands!”

“Well, then stop wasting time arguing. Stick to the road, and you won’t have any trouble.”

Beck rode through the cold plains of the outlands. Ahead of him, two carriages nearly blocked the road as they traveled, side by side.

“Come on, come on, come on,” Beck said. He drew even with the backs of the carriages, then as they wandered away from each other, rode through the gap. But when he crested the hill, he saw a crowd of carriages, wagons, mules, horses, and travelers. 

Lightning had struck a tree and toppled it across the main road. Although there were many people waiting, none seemed eager to remove the block and continue.

“The road’s closed up ahead,” one of the travelers told Beck. “Nothing to do but wait out the storm.”

“Not an option,” Beck said. “I’ve gotta get to Gallium.”

The traveler scoffed. “Gallium? There’s no way you’re getting through that storm.”

“Fine, then I’ll go around it,” Beck said. 

“Yeah, right,” the traveler said, but Beck had already left.

He turned his horse and traveled the smooth, icy hills and rocks. The storm easily blocked out a quarter of the sky, centered around the road. Gallium, normally half a day’s travel away, would take Beck nearly a full day to reach at this rate.

“Hmm. So much for the shortcut.”

Small gurgling sounds caught his attention. “Or not,” he said.

He dismounted his horse and walked the short distance to a large hot spring pool, burbling merrily despite the low temperature around. Lightning struck, much too close - it knocked rocks from the edges of the pool and electrified its surface.

Beck stumbled and slid down the pool’s edge. He hit the water and found it was deeper than he was, with a vicious current.

“Aah!”

Water pushed and pulled against his body. Beck rode the current limply until he spotted a hole in the pond’s side. He swam for it, and emerged into a mostly-dry tunnel.

“Okay,” he said. “I’m pretty certain this isn’t Gallium.” He turned around, looking for a different exit. Instead, he spotted a mirror, tall but blackened with age and rust. Scratching or tapping noises in the same direction drew him to it. Beck glanced at his reflection, then behind the mirror, but nothing hid there. 

He jumped at the sound of footsteps and a flash of movement - from within the mirror.

Beck leaned on the mirror’s surface, his breath fogging the glass.  _ What was that? _

He fell forward, through the mirror, into darkness. When he got up and turned, the mirror was solid again. Beck banged on the surface with his fist.

“Hey. Hey!”

A stealthy figure crept behind him. Beck screamed as the figure pulled him away from the glass, deeper into the mirror.

“No word from Beck?” Able asked Link.

Link, who was sweeping the floor, said, “Beck? Uh-uh. Why?”

“He should have been back from Gallium by now. No way it should’ve taken this long. Unless…”

“Unless what?” Link asked.

No answer.

“Unless what?” He sighed. “No one ever tells me anything.”

Able walked into his office. A figure in a black cloak waited there, and Able startled when he saw it.

“Tron,” he said, calmer. Able shut the door. “Shouldn’t you be back in that healing chamber of yours?”

Tron removed his hood. “I’m looking for Beck.”

“He’s not here,” Able said. “But I’ll let him know you stopped by.”

“Something’s happening in Pergos. Something troublesome.”

“And you just can’t leave it alone, can you?”

“I intercepted a message, and it’s encrypted.” Tron said. He held out a sheet of paper.

“So that’s a no,” Able stated.

“Somebody doesn’t want anyone to know what they’re up to,” Tron said. He pointed out a signature under a portrait, coded but obvious.

“Who’s that?” Able asked.

“Dyson. He’s someone you better hope you never have to meet.”

“You have friends everywhere, don’t you.”

“I need to see Beck as soon as he gets back. Make sure he gets the message.” Tron started to leave.

Able stood up. “Wait! You’re not sending him up against this Dyson, are you?”

“It’s not your concern,” Tron said.

Able walked to Tron. “Beck is my concern. So I’ll go instead of him. I’ll find out what Dyson is doing in Pergos.”

Tron hummed thoughtfully.

“You’re running out of time.”

“I’m running out of patience,” Tron said. He put his hood back on, then left.

Beck woke up in a corner, made of mirror glass greened with age.

“Easy there,” a voice said.

Beck looked in the direction of the voice, which was - straight up? A figure stood high above him on the angled ceiling.

“Apologies for the rude welcome,” the voice continued.

Light reflected off the many facets above, purple and white and blue like gemstones.

“Where… am I?” Beck asked.

“You’re safe,” the voice said. “You stumbled into what some would call the mirror world. Not quite out of the kingdom, but close.”

The figure passed by a mirror glaring white, still sideways on the wall. “I just call it home.”

“It’s…” Beck hesitated. “Nice. Inviting.” Cracks in some of the mirrors lit up, while others stayed dark. “Speaking of home, I-I need to find a way back to mine.”

The figure walked closer, down the wall.

“So, sorry for trespassing…” Beck said.

“You’re leaving? Now?” the stranger said. “Not a good idea. That nasty storm is right on top of us.”

As if to prove his point, a bolt of lightning crashed through the ceiling and struck through a jagged hole beside Beck.

“Trust me, I can handle it. Just point me to the exit and I’ll be on my way,” Beck said.

“I don’t think you understand,” the stranger said. He ran and jumped onto a protruding shard of glass on the wall. “I’m not asking you to stay… I’m insisting, Beck.”

“How did you know my name?” Beck asked.

The stranger looked down at him. “I know a lot more than your name, Beck. Or would you rather I call you… the Rogue.”

Beck gasped. The man was closer now, close enough to discern the white scars, like he’d struck the glass, and shattered himself instead. Beck reached for his sword, but the sheath on his back was empty.

“Don’t worry, your sword is safe. Along with all of your other juicy little secrets.”

“So you know everything,” Beck said.

The stranger walked out on a long spear of glass, then jumped down, even closer to Beck.

He chuckled. “Relax. Who am I gonna tell down here?” The man ran his hand along one of the mirrors, and small fractures lit up there. “Besides, we’re on the same team, you and me. We’re the good guys.”

“You expect me to just take your word for it?” Beck asked.

“Yeah,” the stranger said. “But… I guess you got your reasons for being discreet.”

He walked down the wall to the ground and handed Beck his sword. The stranger patted Beck on the back. “Come on. There’s something I want to show you.”

The stranger strode past Beck, then into the hole, sideways again.

Beck walked to the edge, then hesitated at the steep drop. He turned and let himself down. “I’m right behind you,” he said softly.

Able walked the streets of Pergos. Several Occupation-marked carriages rattled past, forcing him to jump back. Each carriage had a good dozen prisoners inside. Able put on a cloak and entered one of them.

The carriages arrived at a large whitestone building, where the prisoners were led through a hall to receive assignments. 

“Let’s go, let’s go. Move it, people. We have work to do,” a foreman said. When Able hesitated, the foreman snapped, “Move it!”

“All right, listen up, people.” He gathered a group of prisoners and brought them to a small side hall. “You’ve been assigned to area maintenance and inspection. Upon exiting this room, do not fraternize, socialize, do not even make visual contact with your fellow workers. Do not under any circumstances deviate from your designated stations. Failure to adhere to these guidelines will result in your immediate execution.”

Soldiers brought some of the prisoners out, while Able and a few others were led further by the foreman.

Able stared, horrified, at a body on the ground outside the doorway. “So, uh, what did they say this top-secret project was?”

“They didn’t,” his fellow prisoner said. “That’s why it’s top-secret.”

“Hmm.”

“All right, all right. Let’s go.”

The foreman led the prisoners past more halls, where Able spotted Dyson. When he looked again, the soldier - Dyson - was leaving.

Beck climbed down more treacherous glass chunks. “Did you build this place?”

“I, uh, I repurposed it,” the stranger said. “Even glass bends to magic. So I took what I had, and turned it into what I needed.”

Beck continued to climb, while his guide waited ahead, sideways on the wall. “What are you? A Sidhe?”

The stranger laughed bitterly. “No, no. I’m not a Sidhe. But as you can see, I don’t exactly fit in with Clu’s image of perfection.”

Beck slid down a long glass slope.

“I don’t envy you being the Rogue.”

“It feels like the entire kingdom is depending on me,” Beck admitted.

“That’s a heavy burden to carry. And throwing rocks at Clu isn’t going to cut it. He’s growing stronger with every passing day.”

“If we don’t hit back now, it’ll be too late,” Beck said. He climbed carefully along a series of gashes in the mirrors, like horizontal ledges.

“I couldn’t agree more,” the stranger said. He paused, vertical again, and stood beside Beck. “You see, this, this is what I’m talking about. This back and forth, like, like we’re of one mind. I really can’t wait to show you what I’ve been working on. I think you’re going to like it.”

Able paused from his work and left his spot. He ducked behind pillars and crept to the hall where he saw Dyson. The low hum of speech resolved into words.

“And am I correct to assume Tesler knows absolutely nothing of our operation?” Dyson asked.

“That’s correct,” a guard said.  
“Fantastic. Clu’s orders are to keep this under the radar. We are to trust no one.”

“What does it do, the project?”

“You’ll see, soon enough.”

Able looked again, but Dyson was gone. He turned back to the wall and saw Dyson directly in front of him.

“Looking for something?”

“Uh, huh, seems like I’ve lost the other members of my group,” Able said. “They sent me out for a storage jar and I guess I took a wrong turn.”

Before Dyson could object further, Able’s foreman walked up. 

“Hey, you! I’m terribly sorry, Dyson. He must have wandered off.”

“If you can’t keep your workers in line,” Dyson told the foreman, “do your best to remember you are just as replaceable as they are.”

Dyson stalked off. The foreman slapped Able, then pulled him back to his place.

Beck dangled precariously from another ledge, then jumped down to a floor with a grunt. The ground was curved upward, and the walls moved until it was evident the two stood on a large sphere. “What is this?”

“This, my friend, is what you and I will use to free the kingdom.”

Lightning crackled across the sphere’s surface, and Beck gasped.

“Ah, it’s perfect symmetry! The alpha and the omega! We’re going to change the game, Beck. Together, and for always!”

“You’re not talking about freeing the kingdom, are you?” Beck realized.  _ The mirrors, the storm - all of it - combined with this man’s magic… _

“Of course I am,” the stranger said. “But first we’ll have to destroy it. You’d be surprised how much damage you can do with a little amplified magic. Especially when energized by that very storm that brought you straight to me.”

“You’re bluffing,” Beck said.

“Do I look like I’m bluffing?” he said. “Once I destroy a big enough portion of the kingdom, the entire thing would crumble.”  
“But you’ll kill every living being!” Beck said.

“No! I’ll free every living being.”

“I won’t let you do this.”

“Let me?”

Beck ran at the stranger, but he dodged the punch and twisted Beck’s arm behind his back. “You and I are more alike than you know.”

He pushed Beck away. Beck rushed at him again, then tried to kick a blow to his back.

“Aah - We’re nothing alike!”

The stranger grabbed his torso and threw him back again. “Then why do I know every move you’re going to make before you make it?”

Beck fell down the curve of the sphere into a chair. Cuffs snapped in around his arms and legs, hard and sharp. They cut and burned his arms, and Beck cried out in pain.

The chair swiveled to the top of the sphere.

“You’re not the first person Tron trained to fight back,” the stranger said. He raised his arms, and crossed them in front, revealing an all-too familiar T crest along the front of his sleeves. “I am! Surprise! I’m the first Rogue.”

Beck struggled against his bonds. “I don’t believe you.”

Cyrus patted his cheek. “That’s okay. We’ll be dead soon enough, wiped out, along with Tron and the rest of the slaves.”

Beck’s neck strained as he pulled out and up.

“Conserve your strength, Rogue, because tonight, we shock the kingdom.” Cyrus laughed as lightning arced through the sphere, bright and frightening as his fracture scars.

The lightning coursed through Beck’s chair.

“Do you believe in free will?” Cyrus asked.

Beck could only groan and cry out in pain.

“Yeah, me neither. Just like I don’t believe it was coincidence that brought us together. All of this, you being the Rogue, arriving here at this very moment, it’s all predetermined.”

“I’m here because I got lost,” Beck said.

Cyrus laughed. “You think you’re acting more than your purpose, but this is your purpose!” He sat down in a matching chair, which connected itself back to back with Beck's. “We were meant to free this kingdom… together.”

“What’s going on?” Beck gritted out. Lightning began to fill his veins, writhing and burning.

“I can’t cause a lightning spell this powerful by myself. I need a second source of magic to help me trigger the explosion.” Cyrus said.

“You mean… me,” Beck said.

“Now you’re getting it. But Tron never did. He thought this space could contain my genius.” Beck could smell flesh burning, but whether it was his own or Cyrus’ was anyone’s guess. It would certainly explain the pain he felt in his wrists.

“Tron trapped you here?” Beck said. “You’re locked in?”

“It’s a prison, Beck. My prison.” The storm around them surged. Lightning jumped from Cyrus to Beck to the sphere and back. “But all prisons have a key. Now, I need you to be brave, because this may hurt a little.”

Lightning struck the chairs directly, causing a white flash of pain. Beck made a strangled sound between a groan and a scream.

“To freedom!” Cyrus said.

The sphere spun, and Beck continued to groan. A loud hum filled the mirror space, and the sphere rose.

Three groups of prisoners walked through the Pergos complex. Able broke away from his and looked down another, unexplored hallway.

“Where’re you going?” Dyson asked, falsely casual. “I never did get to ask you your business.”  
“Oh, I… I was just uh… I.. uh…”

“You were just what?” Dyson asked. A platoon of soldiers surrounded Able and Dyson. Each of them drew their swords.

“What  _ were _ you doing back there?” Dyson demanded.

A man ran up from behind the soldiers and vaulted over them. He landed softly and pulled out his own sword.

“What took you so long?” Able asked.

“Able!” Tron shouted. Able turned just in time to dodge and parry a soldier’s thrust.

Able drove his elbow into the soldier’s chest with enough force to crack a rib. “How about that.”

“Behind you!”

He turned and forced another soldier to the ground. While Able was busy, Dyson ran and shouted, “Protect the creature!”

“Did you find it yet?” Tron asked. Both men fought the remaining soldiers, fending off the attacks.

“No!” Able said. “Do you know how many floors are in this place?”

Each of them finished off an opponent at the same time.

“This is why I usually bring Beck,” Tron said. He scissor-kicked another soldier and knocked him against the last one.

“Do you even know what you’re looking for?”

“I’ll know it when I find it,” Tron said tersely.

Before either of them could say another word, huge yellow and black wings burst through the ground beside them. Long clawed limbs followed, until a gigantic dragon broke free of the building’s rubble and flew up.

“Found it,” Tron said.

“You know what this means?” Able said. “I was wrong. As much as I hate to admit it, you’re gonna need Beck.”

“Wrong again,” Tron said. “I need both of you.”   
  


The sphere rose through the mirror and out of the hot springs. Water spiraled up with it, forming spikes of liquid around the sphere’s circumference. More lightning bolts hit the sphere, arcing through the water and out. Beck groaned. From the spinning, the smell, and the pain, it seemed like he might throw up - or pass out.

“It’s over, Beck. Tron is wrong,” Cyrus said. “And I’m about to show you just how wrong he was.”

Beck’s vision flickered. Stars spiraled and jumped in the corners, changing colors. Fire flashed. Then all went white. 

Tron appeared in front of him. “Beck? Stay with me. Beck!” At the last word, he morphed into Clu.

Beck screamed and pulled with all his might against the bonds. The glass around his waist and wrist shattered. Cyrus’ sphere slowed its rotation, then stopped as Beck staggered forward.

“No. No!” Cyrus said. “No!!”

His chair also released him. He circled the edge of the sphere and headed for Beck.

“You were right,” Beck said. “Fate did bring us together… so I could stop you!”

Beck grabbed Cyrus’ wrist and threw him to the edge of the sphere. Cyrus unsheathed his sword and jumped to kick Beck. Beck dodged it and pulled out his own sword.

“Where will you run to? Back to Tron?” Cyrus said. He jumped over Beck, then struck so Beck stumbled back over the edge. “The spirit of the Rogue ends right here… right now.”

Beck hung onto a crack in the glass. The thin pole the sphere rose from slowly cracked, and the whole construct toppled to one side. As Beck swung from the side, he said, “Not for me.”

The sphere hit the side of the hot spring, and cracked. Cyrus still stood atop it, and as Beck ran for his horse, he shouted, “No. NO!!!!!”

His voice still echoed as he fell back through the mirror, into the slowly darkening space within. Light from the space shot into the sky as Beck panted. He walked back to the edge of the pond.

The mirror lay at the bottom, cracked in two.

Beck walked through the door into Tron’s shelter.

“Where have you been?” Tron asked.

“My fault,” Beck said. “I tried to outsmart a storm on the road to Gallium. Got myself lost. Almost for good.”

“I’m glad you found your way back,” Tron said.

“I always do. Guess that’s why you picked me to lead the revolution.”

“One of many reasons, yes. You’re…”

“Special?” Beck said sharply. “I know.”

“Beck.”

“One of a kind, right?”

“Right,” Tron said.

Beck looked down at his wrists. The burns and cuts had healed, at least a little, and he carefully covered them with his sleeves. “Right.”

In the now-empty hot spring pool, a hand shot up through the broken mirror. Cyrus pulled himself out of it and laughed, long and loud. After all, who would find him there?


	14. Tagged

A man stood on a rooftop beside Argon Square. He jumped down, scratched out a message on a wall, then sprayed spores from a small vial onto them. The words ‘Tron Lives’ lit up purple on the wall, and the bioluminescent moss grew out in the same pattern all over the wall.

The citizens of Argon couldn’t help but notice the bright words, and as the pattern repeated and the message spread, people began to talk.

“Tron Lives?”

“Is it the Rogue?”

Guards quickly found the man starting the trouble.

“Halt, citizen! You are in violation of the property codes!”

Instead of answering, the man ran off into the dark streets. The guards followed.

“There he is,” the guards said as they started to catch up.

Soft footsteps from behind them caused one guard to look back.

“No, over there!”

The guards looked at each other. “Split up.”

The man led the guards on a short chase through the streets, but soon two had cornered him against a wall. “You’re fast, Rogue, but not fast enough.”

The man turned around. His clothing was rough but serviceable, and he didn’t wear Tron’s emblem. Instead, a mask with a wild grin covered the man’s face.

“Wait, you’re not…”

Before the guard could finish, another man knocked him out and to the ground. He also wore a grinning mask, as did his female companion.

The first man nodded, and all three of the group ran off. But the evidence of their mischief glowed across Argon Square. The guards used their spears to painstakingly scrape the moss off the walls, but the plant gripped firmly to the wood of the buildings.

“My fan club strikes again,” Beck said from within the mountain shelter. Tron looked through the spyglass at the glowing words.

“You mean  _ my _ fan club,” Tron said.

“Hey, you made a joke,” Beck said teasingly. “That’s progress.”

“What did you find out?”

“Not much. The soldiers still think it’s me,” Beck said. “They haven’t even figured out that there’s more than one.” He walked up to Tron. “So, when do we bring them in?”

“We don’t. Not yet.”

“What do you mean? This is what we’ve been waiting for. Recruits,” Beck said. “We have to build ranks eventually, and they obviously believe in the cause.”

“There’s more to the uprising than acts of vandalism. You know that.”

Beck frowned.

“Well, you do now.”

“Yeah, because you gave me the chance to do something, make a difference,” Beck said. “Not sure if you noticed, but I’m kind of on my own out there.”

“I’m just asking you to wait.”  
“I’m done waiting. As long as I’m wearing this armor, you have to start letting me make decisions.”

Tron thought for a moment. “These people need to know what they’re fighting for. They need to be willing to die for it. You wanna make a decision? Make one.” He pointed at Beck. “But be prepared to deal with the consequences.”

“And… you’re walking away,” Beck narrated. “Big surprise.”

An eagle landed in the center of Argon Square. Lady Paige stepped off it and spoke to the guards. “Where is it?”

Guards questioned people around the square and the wagon groups.

“I want everyone in this square detained. No one leaves until I’ve questioned them,” Paige said.

“Yes, sir,” the guard said.

Another guard inspected a box on one wagon. Despite being clothed in thick leather and steel armor, his hands shook as he reached for the box.

“Well?” Paige said. “Open it.”

The guard’s hands shook as he hesitated. Paige elbowed him aside and reached for the box. “I got it.”

She removed the top only to see a small sphere - an explosive.

“Get down!” she shouted. She threw herself to the floor a safe distance away.

For a moment, nothing happened. Paige even got up and looked at the sphere again.

The sphere burst, launching millions of tiny spores which latched onto anything they touched. Moss grew from the spores, shaped into the words ‘Tron Lives’. The wagon, the nearest buildings, even Paige’s gown all bore the words in glowing mossy letters.

Paige screamed in frustration.

“Triumph,” one of the masked mischief-makers said as the wagon left.

“I wish I could’ve seen their faces when the spores were launched,” another said.

“I wish I could’ve seen my masterpiece,” the first returned.

The second man cleared his throat.

“Our masterpiece,” the first one said.

As the three jogged away, the second man said, “Next time, let’s hang out at the scene longer. It’s more fun when they chase us.”

“That’s how we get caught,” the woman said. “If we wanna keep this operation running, we stick to my plan.”

A man in black and red armor, his face covered by a helmet, stepped out in front of them. The three mischief-makers stopped.

“Now what?” one said.

“Run!” the woman replied.

The three ran away, but before they got far, the man threw a glass orb at them. It bounced into the midst of the three, then expanded.

_ Fingers crossed, this will work, _ Beck thought. Sure enough, the spell trapped the three troublemakers inside, like fireflies in a jar. Behind his helmet, he smiled.  _ We’ll see how they do. _

“Do you know how fast you could have been executed for what you’ve done?” Beck asked the three from outside the spell’s radius. He’d brought them to a dusty, unused horse shed. “Vandalizing city property, trespassing, instigating disobedience by spreading lies.” His voice rumbled a bit - courtesy of the disguise he’d managed to cast on himself.

“They’re not lies,” the woman said.

“Hey, keep quiet,” one of the men told her. “And it’s not vandalism, it’s gardening.”

“Look. For the record, I have no idea what you or these two are talking about,” the last man said.

Beck strode up to him and pulled a small vial of glowing spores from his belt, despite the man’s protests.

“Oh, that,” the man said. “Okay.”

Beck put the vial back into the man’s pocket.

“So you believe that Tron’s alive?” he asked the woman.

“I do.”

“And you?” he asked the other man.

“I let my work speak for itself.”

“Then so be it,” Beck said. He pulled out his sword and swung it around, close to the perimeter of the spell.

The woman screamed. The two men protested.

Beck sheathed his sword, and the black and red disguise melted off Tron’s armor.

“Tron?” one of the men asked.

“So you’re not still gonna kill us?” the other asked.

“Duh, he’s here to help us,” the woman said. “Right?”

_ Why is her voice so familiar? _

Beck released his hold on the spell. “Actually, you’re going to help me. But first, I have to trust you.” He tapped his helmet.

The three looked at each other. Finally, the man who Beck had pulled the vial from removed his mask. He had rounded features and smooth dark brown skin. “Name’s Moog,” he said. “And this here’s Rasket.”

The second man removed his mask, revealing a sharp nose that made him look almost snooty. “It’s pronounced ‘Rah-skay’,” he corrected.

“And finally, the heart and soul of the Jolly Tricksters,” Moog said.

When the woman pulled off her mask, revealing short blond hair tied back with a teal ribbon, Beck knew even before she said her name. “Mara.”

His eyes widened.

“Nice to see you again, Tron,” she said in a shaky voice.

“Wait…” Moog said. “So you two know each other?”

“No.” Beck said, a bit too quickly.

“Yes,” Mara said. “He saved my life. More than once.” She smiled up at Beck.

“Well, of course he did,” Rasket said. “He’s impersonating Tron.”

Mara elbowed him, and he grunted.

“I mean, he is Tron.”

“We’re both… all three of us… huge fans of your work,” Rasket said.

Mara’s smile - so different from the ones she gave him as himself - distracted Beck a bit. “Uh, thanks.” He crossed his arms. “I’ve brought all of you here for a reason. There’s a revolution coming, and I need recruits to fight by my side. So… so what do you say? Are you up for the challenge?”

“Absolutely. Yes,” Mara said.

“Amazing. Right!” Rasket said.

“Yes, of course,” said Moog.

“That.. that was easy,” Beck said. “But our task ahead won’t be.”

“I just want to say that I’ve been waiting for an opportunity like this for a while now,” Mara said as she walked up to Beck. She came even closer before saying, “A chance to prove my commitment to the revolution.” Her blue eyes seemed a bit unfocused. “To you.”

Beck stepped back. “That’s very… flattering, really.” He looked away. “Look, you’ve all been through a lot. Let’s call it for now and meet here in two days. For further instructions.”

None of the Jolly Tricksters moved.

“Class dismissed,” Beck said.

Moog and Rasket began to walk off. 

“Let’s go guys, let’s bounce.”

“Whatever you want us to do,” Mara said, “I want you to know that I’m not afraid.” She turned to leave with the others.

Beck watched her go.  _ You aren’t -- but what if I am? _

“Remember when you first approached me?” Beck asked as Tron paced around the training room. “I said I wasn’t afraid. But how did you really know I was the right choice?”

Tron’s pace quickened. “I didn’t,” he said. “You kept coming back. The more I pushed, the harder you fought.”

“Was I your first choice?” Beck asked.  _ Are you still going to keep lying about Cyrus? _

“Yes.”

“Really,” Beck pushed. “There was no one before me?”

Tron stopped jogging. “Why do you ask?”

Beck hesitated. He pushed up his sleeve slightly - the burns from Cyrus’ chair were still raw and red.

“Is there something you’d like to tell me, Beck?”

“No.” Beck lied. “I was just wondering if you were afraid you’d made the wrong choice - with me.”

“You’re forgetting,” Tron said. “When I found you, you were already waging your own war against the Occupation. I just steered you down the right path.”

Beck looked down at the pale birch flooring.

“The right path. What is it?” Beck asked the Jolly Tricksters. “Defacing wagons and buildings? Or striking a significant blow against the enemy’s stronghold?”

Beck unrolled a map.

“Whoa,” Moog said. “That’s Tesler’s castle.”

“And you three are going to help me infiltrate it. In that castle is a journal record.”

“Tesler’s fortress is the biggest canvas in Argon,” Rasket interrupted. “We hit that, we’ll make history.”

“Whoa whoa whoa,” Beck said. “Nobody’s hitting Tesler’s castle but me. In fact, you won’t be anywhere near it. Every fifth day, the guards are rotated from the north tower. That’s where you three come in. While I circle with a wyvern, you’re going to do what you’re good at - bombard the fortress with your ‘gardening’.”

“In order to draw the guards away. That way you can sneak onto the ship undetected,” Mara finished. “Do you like how I put that together?” she asked the other Jolly Tricksters.

“So, we’re just your distraction.” Rasket said.

“Where’s the fun in that?” Moog asked. “We want in on the thrills.”

“This isn’t about thrills,” Beck said. “I’m trying to gather intel. And if you can’t understand that, then maybe I’ve made a mistake.” He began to walk away.

“Tron, wait,” Mara said. “I can’t believe what I’m hearing. Do you know who we’re talking to? This is the man who inspired you to create, and inspired  _ you _ to help Rasket realize his mission.”

“Uh, ‘Ras-kay’.”

Mara sighed. “Whatever. He’s risking his life out there and he needs our help. I don’t know about you guys, but I’m giving it to him.”

“Us too,” Rasket said. “When do we start?”

The gates around Tesler’s fortress began to close just as Beck swooped in on his wyvern. “Right on time,” he muttered. “Be careful.”

Glowing letters of moss crawled up the nearest building. One of the guards noticed. “Security zone compromised. Alert Lady Paige.”

While the guards were busy, Beck jumped off the wyvern onto the north tower behind them. He edged along the stonework carefully, while the Jolly Tricksters finished seeding the moss. They ran off the moment they’d finished.

Dragons circled the fortress and headed in the path nearest the moss. A guard atop one shouted, “Perpetrators at large! Report or be executed.”

The Jolly Tricksters stood hidden beneath an awning. As the guards passed, Rasket and Moog ran back toward the fortress.

“Hey, where are you two going?” Mara asked. “The plan is to meet Tron at the shed.”

“Change of plans, baby,” Moog said.

Beck crept into the library and searched among the shelves for the journal. When he’d found it, he put it into his belt and hurried on. Meanwhile, Rasket and Moog crept through the eaves of the fortress until they’d reached a relatively open area. Rasket opened his vial and shook out the spores onto a wall.

Mara, however, was waiting at the shed, and biting her nails worriedly.

“You’re alone,” Beck said, making her jump. “Why?”

“I tried to stop them,” she began.

“Stop them?” Beck said. “Mara, where are they?”

Mara looked out to where the fortress stood. “There.”

“What were they thinking?” Beck asked.

“They weren’t,” Mara said. “I usually handle that part.”

“This is as far as you go,” Beck said. “I’ll take care of the rest.”

“Uh, try again,” Mara said. “I’m the one who talked them into joining you. Besides, I know their plan. Without me, you’ll never find them in time. And I won’t take no for an answer.”

Beck sighed. “I was afraid of that.”

Soon the two were flying over to the fortress on Beck’s wyvern. 

Mara laughed through her mask. “Zed is never going to believe this!”

“Hmm.”  _ Are you planning to tell him? _

Tesler and Paige stalked into the strategy room in the fortress.

“No sign of the Rogue,” Paige said. “Or whoever struck by the north tower.”

“Unacceptable, keep looking,” Tesler said. “This ‘Tron Lives’ blasphemy must stop.”

“Then you definitely shouldn’t look outside, sir,” Pavel said.

Tesler stopped and looked through the window, then growled. Glowing moss grew along every building within the block around the fortress, coating them with the words ‘Tron Lives’.

“Where is that coming from?” Tesler asked.

“Far as I can tell,” Pavel said. “From us.”

An alarm bell rang in each of the towers. Rasket and Moog paused in their spreading of the spores.

“Perhaps we’d better abscond,” Rasket said.

“Aw,” Moog said. “I was just getting in the zone!”

They began the long crawl back through the rafters, then jumped down into the outer court.

Guards surrounded them, and Pavel chuckled when he saw the two Jolly Tricksters. “What are you two grinning for?”

The guards pinned their arms and pulled back their masks, revealing Moog and Rasket’s faces.

Pavel led the guards and his captives back into the castle. “I’m disappointed you’re not the Renegade, but that doesn’t mean we still can’t have fun together.”

Moog and Rasket glanced at each other.

The guards continued forward. Each of Rasket and Moog’s steps produced thin crunching and splashing sounds - along with squishes, making their stomachs churn.

“Moog. What are we walking on?”

“I think you mean ‘who’ are we walking on,” Moog said.

Pavel led Moog and Rasket up to a chair, where a desiccated corpse still sat. “Did he scream?” he asked the guard.

“Yes, sir.”

Pavel twisted part of the corpse’s neck, and it collapsed into fragments of bone and small amounts of liquid. Seeing this, Rasket and Moog struggled against their captors’ grips. The guards were strong enough to hold them back.

“That’s the problem with these citizens,” Pavel said. “They can’t hold it together.”

The guards shoved Rasket and Moog into two chairs.

“A little privacy, please.”

At Pavel’s order, the guards filed out of the room. Mara and Beck, on the battlements, saw the guards leave and heard one say they were fetching General Tesler. They ran off to find a way in.

“While you’re able to talk, why not tell me the location of your leader,” Pavel said. “The Rogue!”

“Look, we don’t know! You have to believe us, okay?” Moog said, panicked.

“Where’s the fun in that?” Pavel asked.

The machines connected to the chairs started up, and began pulling at Moog and Rasket. They squeezed and sucked at every point of contact, stealing liquid from their bodies. Above them, Mara and Beck pushed at the pillar connected to the chairs, but it wouldn’t budge.

“Please,” Rasket gasped out. “We’re just artists.”

“Oh!” Pavel said. “So you work with your hands.”

He increased the intensity, and Rasket’s hand went numb. It began to shrivel and clamp up, and he screamed. Mara and Beck pushed harder, with all their strength. Something snapped, and the pillar came crashing down. Pavel ran from the falling beam, while Beck and Mara helped Rasket and Moog out of the chairs.

“Get him!” Pavel shouted as he spotted the Rogue.

The Jolly Tricksters and Beck ran for their lives, out to the main portcullis.

“They’re sealing us in,” Rasket said. The portcullis was closing. “We’ll be trapped.”

A door opened, and they stopped in their tracks. Lady Paige and several guards walked out.

“I’ll handle the Rogue,” Paige said. “You get the others.”

“You three get that door open,” Beck said. “I’ll deal with them.”  
Mara looked like she wanted to protest, but she quickly got out of the way. Beck leaped at the guards and struck down almost half of them before even pulling out his sword. He took down another two with his sword, then turned to parry a slash from Paige.

“You don’t give up, do you?” she asked. She brought a staff up with her right hand, and Beck grabbed a hold of it.

“Nope. And I never will.”

The Jolly Tricksters stood at the heavy levers controlling the portcullis.

“You’re gonna want to hurry, Mara,” Rasket said. 

Mara tugged hard at one of the levers. “I can’t! There’s not enough time!”

“Then what are we waiting for? Catch!” Moog said. He threw her a canvas glider.

“No, wait! What about Tron?”

“What about him?” Moog said. “He’s fine. He’s Tron.”

Paige lunged at Beck with her staff, then kicked him in the torso. He stumbled back, then cut the end off her staff and wrenched it away from her. He swung at her legs, but missed. Instead of attacking further, he used the staff to vault atop one of the nearby dragons.

“We need to go now!” Rasket said. The Jolly Tricksters ran for the towers. Before they even got close, a dragon reared up and stared at them.

“I was wrong!” Moog shouted. “It’s not more fun when they chase us!”

“I thought you were all about the thrills?” Mara asked. She grabbed the vial from Rasket and threw it at the dragon. Spores flew in all directions.

Beck panted, safely on the dragon’s back. A dagger flew past him, and Paige vaulted up beside him with her sword drawn.

The dragon facing Mara slowed, its vision obscured by moss. Then it fell backwards, bumping into the others resting behind it. Its claws raked dangerously close to some of the guards.

Paige forced Beck back, while he countered her strikes. But the dragon they stood on was also disturbed. Paige broke out of her attack as it threw both her and Beck to the ground. Beck called his wyvern and flew away as Paige watched. Eagles flew out of the fortress to follow him, their riders loosing arrows at Beck and his wyvern. The Jolly Tricksters jumped from the tower, but Mara hesitated.

“Mara, go!” Beck shouted on his way out.

One of the eagle’s riders nearly hit her with an arrow, and she stumbled back over the edge.

Beck jumped off his wyvern and fell alongside her.

He grabbed her and the wyvern returned to carry them both. As they flew, Mara opened her eyes and quietly asked, “Huh?”

When she saw she was with the Rogue, she nestled in beside him. “Oh.”

“We, we messed up.” Moog said.

“Yeah, we messed up bad,” Rasket said. “And thanks for coming back for us.”

“It’s not just me you have to thank,” Beck said.

“You’re welcome,” Mara said.

“That right path you mentioned…” Moog said. “It’s out there, isn’t it? It’s Argon. That’s what you’ve been fighting for.”

Rasket shook his head. “It’s more than Argon. You’re taking the fight all the way to Clu. You’re fighting so this--” he lifted his shriveled hand, “stops.”

“Then join me,” Beck said. “Let me put your talents to good use. The uprising needs you, and so do I.”

“We’re not good enough. No way,” Moog said.

“We barely survived out there. I don’t think we’ll be as lucky a second time,” Rasket said. “Your cause is right, but we’re not your army.” He turned to leave.

“Hey,” Moog said. “It’s a good thing Tron lives. Argon needs you.” He left, his arm around Rasket’s shoulder.

“I’m still in,” Mara said. “No matter the risks, I’m ready for this.” She made a fist, determined.

“I’m not,” Beck said.

“What does that mean?”

“It means without your friends, you’re of no help to me. Go home.” Beck walked off.  _ I’m sorry. _

“It was the only way to get her to leave,” Beck said. “She was the one true believer in the cause. But I wasn’t prepared for the consequences.”

Tron stood in the shadows beside him. “Then you made the right decision. If she’s really willing to risk everything for the cause, she’ll still be there. When you’re ready.”

The crowd’s murmurs grew louder. They pointed and looked at another bright patch of moss, bearing the message ‘Tron Lives’ - again. Mara took off her mask to look at the sight.


	15. State of Mind

Mara, her hair tied back with red ribbons, hacked at the glowing moss on the wall near the stables.

“Will you just hear me out?” Zed said.

Mara didn’t answer. She just stepped back and watched as the ‘V’ in “Tron Lives” winked out, changing the message to “Tron Lies”.

“Fine! Then at least come with me!” Zed said. He grabbed Mara’s arm and started walking. Mara stayed still and Zed lost his grip. “Wait, stop! You’re not yourself.”

Zed looked into Mara’s bloodshot eyes, trying to find some trace of familiarity.

“Help me kill the Rogue, or get out of my way,” she spat.

Zed moved aside unwillingly, but still protested as Mara walked on. “Wait!”

Mara punched Zed in the face, knocking him down. She pulled out her sword and pointed it at his chest.

“Mara!”

_ Several hours earlier... _

Mara sat in Able’s carriage, looking through her collection of hair ribbons. 

“Which one says ‘overthrow Clu’?” she mused.

She picked up a yellow ribbon, then a green ribbon. “I could pull this off, don’t you think?”

Able’s parrot squawked a “No.”

“Who asked you?” Mara laughed. She turned her eyes back to the road. The carriage was approaching a sign covered in “Tron Lives” graffiti. Mara smiled at her handiwork as the carriage passed it.

Then a wagon train passing through the road abruptly fell over and crashed.

Mara shouted in surprise and grabbed the reins. She turned the carriage, but not in time for the wagon to ram into it.

First there was motion. Mara felt herself moving. She opened her eyes and saw two doctors in red and black carrying her on a stretcher. One of them used a mirror to shine a light into her eyes, which were bloodshot.

“It’s okay,” Zed said. “You’re in gifted hands.” He patted the sleek, muscular horse beside him. “Plus, I know  _ you’d _ never leave me for the Rogue.”

Beck walked up to him with a bemused expression on his face. “Should I be worried you’re talking to your horse?”

“Can you blame me? Going a little stir crazy from pulling all these double shifts because  _ someone’s _ never here,” Zed said, pointedly.

Beck opened, then closed his mouth. “I’m here now. Let me help.”

He started to walk forward and kneel beside the horse.

“You want to help? Get my old horse back from the Rogue.”

“You’re not still sore about that, are you?” Beck asked.

“I just wish you’d be on my side for once, like you used to be.”

Mara walked up to the two of them with Able’s parrot on her shoulder. There was a dazed look in her eyes.

“You just get back? Everything go okay?” Beck asked.

“Yep,” Mara said.

“No,” the parrot squawked.

“There was a minor crash,” Mara said. “But.. I’m fine. Better than fine. I feel,” she sighed. “Purified. Like everything’s finally in focus.”

“You sure you didn’t hit your head or anything?” Beck asked suspiciously.  _ This doesn’t seem like Mara. _

Mara laughed, hard and sharp. “Accidents put things in perspective. I mean, just look outside.”

“I see dragons. Lots of ‘em,” Zed said.

“Exactly,” Mara said. “They’re so... beautiful.” Her bloodshot eyes mirrored the red markings on the dragons.

“Beautiful? Where did she say the accident was?” Zed asked.

“She didn’t,” Beck said. He began to walk away, then turned and said, “But it’s... it’s nothing to worry about.”

“Are you blind?”Zed almost shouted. “Something is obviously wrong with our friend! Shouldn’t we be doing something about it?”

Beck hurried away.  _ Stable hands might not be able to do something about this, but maybe the Rogue can. _

Mara still stood in the middle of the stable, spellbound with the dragons’ flight.

Outside of a hospital, one of the doctors who’d attended to Mara inspected a long line of patients. Each one had the same bloodshot eyes as Mara. 

“The pathogen has bonded with the trial group, General,” she said. “Phase one is successful.”

“Phase one is complete, Keller,” General Tesler said. “Success will be determined when you finish the job.”

“What job?” Keller asked. “Mind control? I’m a scientist,” she continued. “I designed this agent to liberate people, and you are using it to make slaves.”

Tesler chuckled. “I’m using it to make believers. You’ve seen the streets, polluted with dissent! We need to put a stop to this.”

“I can’t,” Keller said. “I want... out.” She began to walk away.

“Hmm..” Tesler said. “Let me make this easy for you. You walk away, and I’ll have Pavel tear the organs from your body,” He grabbed a vial from in her pocket and crushed it. “You run, and I’ll kill you myself.”

“We’ll give you a moment to think it over,” Pavel said. He dropped the tiny shards of glass into her hands.

Zed pushed his way through the crowd at the tavern. The music made it difficult to hear, but he managed to catch Hopper saying, “You want us to come?”

“Of course you’re invited, Hopper! It wouldn’t be a party without the two of you,” Mara said.

“Uh, are you sure?” Hopper asked.

Zed found his way to the table where Mara, Bartik, and Hopper were sitting. Mara’s hair was tied back with bright red ribbons, which contrasted against her light blonde hair.

“Mara? What are you doing?”

“Recruiting,” she said. “Tesler’s throwing a celebration and we're all invited.”  
“Mara, let’s go,” Zed said. “This isn’t you.”

“No, Zed. It is me. Clu will bring order to the kingdom. And when he does, he’ll reward those who stood by his side. His loyal supporters.”

Upon those words, many in the crowd turned to look at Mara. Their eyes, just like hers, were bloodshot.

“I wonder what the Rogue would say to that,” Zed said.

Mara pulled Zed’s head down and pinned him against the table. “You know the Rogue? Tell me where to find him!”

“What’s wrong with you?” Zed said, scared.

“The Rogue’s perverting the kingdom. Spreading lies about our glorious leader,” Mara said.

“Should we step in?” Hopper asked.

“What, and spoil the fun?” Bartik said. “No, I want to see if she rips his arms off.”

Mara was certainly pulling hard. But instead of continuing, she threw Zed to the ground. “Let’s go,” she said. “We’ve got party to attend, and we don’t want to be late.”

“We’d ask you to come,” Hopper said.

“But we don’t  _ like _ you.” Bartik finished.

Mara, Bartik and Hopper walked off. Hopper shoved aside a man standing in the way.

Zed groaned and stood up.

“Please join us for music and mingling in Argon Square,” criers atop dragons called. “General Tesler’s treat. Because you deserve it, citizens.”

“Since when does Tesler throw parties?” Beck asked himself, now dressed in Tron’s armor. He opened a hole in the fence surrounding the wagon crash, and sneaked through. As he looked over the scene from atop the wreckage, light and a voice startled him.

“Hold it right there, Rogue!” Zed shouted. He held up a torch.

Beck stood up and stayed where he was. “Go home before you get hurt.”

“No.” Zed said.

“Don’t push me,” Beck said.  _ He will get hurt if he tries to help. Just like Rasket did. _

“Don’t push me,” Zed mocked.

“What is it with you? Do you want to get executed?” Beck asked.

“What I want is to help my friend, Mara. See this accident? She was in it. And it knocked something loose in her head. And my  _ other _ friend, the one person who should be helping me, is nowhere to be found,” Zed said. “But why am I telling you? He’s not your friend.”

Beck stood silently.  _ If I could just tell him... _

“I’m starting to think he’s not mine, either,” Zed said. He put his hands on his hips, revealing an orange stain on them. 

Beck rushed over and lifted his hand to show Zed the stain. “What’s this?”

Zed looked up at the tilted wagon, which was spilling orange fluid. “Obviously a clue. You can thank me later.”

“See this?” Zed said, pointing to the wagon seats. “The driver’s spot is isolated. So they didn’t want whoever’s driving to touch the stuff.”

He moved onto the wheels. “They’re pointed directly at the road, like the driver tried to go this way.”

“So the wagon was supposed to crash,” Beck said.

“Way ahead of you. Try to keep up,” Zed said. “And it wasn’t the only wagon to crash today.”

“Why would someone crash six of their own wagons?” Beck asked. He turned to see another set of wagons moving along the same path.

“Anyone for seven?” Zed asked.

Beck and Zed mounted their horses and rode through the streets.

“We need to catch that wagon before it crashes,” Beck said. “Try to keep up!”

“Try not to make me hate you,” Zed replied.

He turned and led the way toward the wagon.

Beck easily caught up, but soon the wagon had turned onto a different street.

“How well do you turn?” Beck asked. He turned his horse around, crossing in front of Link and his chariot.

“Turn?” Zed asked.

“Hey! Watch where you’re going!”

Zed sighed and wove his way back around to follow the Rogue. “What happened to making me  _ not _ hate you?”

“Well, this certainly won’t help,” Beck murmured. He led his horse over a fence separating two roads.

Zed screamed, then stopped and spoke. “Ooh, the wagon! It worked!”

“Not yet,” Beck said.

Three guards on horseback caught up to Zed and Beck.

“You’re very popular,” Zed said.

“They’re not here to make friends. Let me handle this!” Beck said. 

The three soldiers dropped behind Beck and Zed, forcing them apart. Two of the soldiers kept Beck contained, while another attempted to ram into him.

Beck urged his horse forward, then used the flat of his blade to knock the soldier off his mount. He continued, nearly speeding past the guards, but they cut off his path to the wagon.

Beck threw a dagger and cut down a hanging sign, providing a ramp for his horse to jump from. Soon he had almost caught up to the guards again. Once he was close enough, he cut both guards’ reins, causing them to fall off their horses.

He drew up to Zed and said, “Let’s go.”

They shot forward and followed the wagon. Soon Beck was able to grab onto the wagon’s side and climb on. Zed rode alongside the wagon, then stood unsteadily on his horse’s back. “Oh, this is not fun.”

Beck reached out and took hold of Zed’s hand, just as his horse shied away from a narrow part in the building and ran off. 

Once Zed was safely on the wagon’s side, he said, “Now you owe me two horses.”

The drivers noticed Zed and Beck climbing on the wagon’s side, and began to turn.

“They’re trying to crash it on the bridge!” Beck said.

“You mean that bridge?” Zed asked, pointing ahead. They were quickly approaching the river crossing.

“We need to be driving,” Beck said.

Zed climbed forward and began struggling with one of the drivers. Soon he managed to push one out, and Beck climbed in beside him to distract and force the second driver out.

“When I say so, turn the wagon the other way!” Zed said. He let Beck into the driver’s seat.

“Now!”

Beck pulled the reins hard, forcing the wagon to change directions and move out of the roadway.

“Now what?” Zed yelled.

“You’re asking me?” Beck said. The back of the wagon hung off the bridge’s edge, dangerously close to the water. “We have to jump. Now!”

Beck and Zed both managed to jump from the front of the wagon as the ropes snapped and the cargo fell into the water. Zed sighed, then chuckled. “That’s hilarious.”

Before Beck could ask what, several sharp impacts echoed across Argon.

“Know how we’ll stop these wagons?” Beck asked. “Follow the victims.”

“I knew that,” Zed said.

Carriages full of victims of the wagon crashes headed for the city hospital. Beck and Zed followed them into the hospital area. A fence blocked their way, and Beck easily vaulted it. However, Zed’s feet caught on the top of the fence and he hit the ground with several grunts.

“Zed!” Beck hissed.

“What? I’m fine.”

They headed inside of the building.

Keller made careful changes to a design atop a table.

“What’s taking you so long?” Pavel asked.

Keller grunted.

“It’s a complicated process,” she said. “In order to trigger the pathogen, it needs to be done right.”

“I’m going to pretend I know what that means,” Pavel said.

“I’m talking about activating the orange stuff,” Keller said condescendingly.

Beck listened intently from his hiding space. Then, Zed lost his grip on the ladder and began to clatter down the rungs. “Whoa, whoa whoa whoa!”

Pavel looked around for the source of the noise, gripping his staff. Beck held his hand across Zed’s mouth, muffling his surprised shouts.

“I need to finish connecting the rod of control,” Keller said.

“Why are you telling me?” Pavel said. “Just do it already.” He put his staff away. “And pick up the pace. The party’s waiting!”

Beck looked up. “That rod is what’s controlling your friend Mara, and anyone else who’s breathed even a speck of that orange stuff.”

“So in theory, if we destroy the tower, everyone goes back to normal,” Zed said. “You don’t happen to have a spare mega-bomb on you?”

Just as he said it, a large dragon took off from near the tower. Beck watched it thoughtfully.

“I do now. Come on.”

Beck led Zed to the edge of the building, and they both jumped onto the dragon.

In Argon Square, a large crowd was forming in response to Tesler’s announcement. 

A female crier called out from a stage, “Greetings! We are delighted you could join us. Please gather in the square for the best view. The event will begin shortly.”

General Tesler stood on one of the rooftops, watching the crowd. He gave a signal, and music began playing from a band on the stage. The crowd cheered in excitement.

Meanwhile, Keller and Pavel rode the dragon above the crowd, dispersing the orange mist above them. Beck and Zed, who both hid far behind them, watched. Zed pulled his hood around his face.

“Good thinking,” Beck said. “Don’t want those guards coming after you later.”

“It’s not for them,” Zed said. “I’d rather not inhale any of that.” He gestured to the orange mist swirling around the crowd.

The musicians continued their song, while Keller sent a command to the rod. It began sending pulses, to the beat of the song. Soon, the bloodshot eyes of Mara and the others under Keller’s control pulsed too.

Tesler had covered his face with his helmet as well. He gave another signal, and huge golden banners covered with Clu’s name, his symbols, and his slogans unfurled along the walls of the square.

The crowd chanted the name of the emperor. “Clu! Clu! Clu! Clu!” Mara chanted as well, excited.

Beck and Zed, up on the circling dragon, watched the crowd.

“We can’t leave Mara alone down there,” Zed said. “I’m going after her.”

“She must mean a lot to you,” Beck said.

“More than you’ll ever know.” Zed struggled to secure his glider on his back.

“Your friends are lucky to have you looking out for them,” Beck said. He reached out and fastened the glider for Zed. “Glide with your arms and legs out, and land with your feet moving.”

“I got it,” Zed said, annoyed. “I’ve used a glider before.”

“No, you haven’t,” Beck said.

“Okay, but I’ve seen it done. How hard can it be?”

Zed jumped off the dragon. He flailed as he fell, screaming, then managed to flatten out and open his glider right before he hit the ground.

He landed among the cheering crowd, who lifted him above them and carried him.

“Ah! Oh! Watch your hands!” Zed said nervously.

“Why the long face?” Pavel asked Keller. “We should be celebrating, together.”

Keller frowned. “You’d have to give me some of that gas first.”

“That can be arranged,” Pavel said. Before he could do anything about it, however, the dragon wheeled around and headed back for the tower. Pavel ran to find the reason they had turned.

Tesler growled.

Zed shuffled through the dancing crowd, avoiding energetic dancers as he went. “Excuse me! Sane person coming through.”

He looked around frantically, then spotted Mara’s red ribbons and headed for her.

“Mara!”

“Zed! You came after all! Long live Clu!” Mara shouted. She ran up to Zed and hugged him.

“Yeah. Long live... umm.” He grabbed Mara and began pulling her away from the crowd.

“Hey!”

“You’ll thank me for this later,” Zed said.

Pavel ran along the spine of the dragon and found Beck mounted in the rider’s position. 

“You.”

“I’m setting an alternate course,” Beck said. “You can leave now, or stick around for the fireworks.”

“I love fireworks!” Pavel shouted. He laughed maniacally and swung his sword at Beck. Beck kicked his torso and sent him flying backward. Pavel rushed at Beck again, but Beck grabbed his sword arm before Pavel could strike him. He pulled Pavel’s arm and threw his sword down the hall.

Pavel used his baton to crush the spine of the unconscious soldier beside him, then grabbed the corpse’s sword. “That was fun.”

“Zed, stop! We’re missing the party!” Mara protested.

“Really? Looked like it was dying down,” Zed said. He continued to pull her towards the stables. “Mara, please! You have to get back to the stables. It’s not safe here.”

As they approached the back gate of the stables, Mara spotted the Tron Lives moss pattern. She frowned and pulled out her sword. “Blasphemy!”

Beck parried another slash from Pavel and kicked him away again. Then he turned back to steering the dragon. Pavel lunged at Beck with his sword.

“Mara!” Zed shouted. “Will you just hear me out?”

Mara hacked at the glowing moss. Soon the ‘V’ was slashed away, changing the message to ‘Tron Lies’.

“Fine. Then at least come with me,” Zed said.

Pavel struck at Beck with his staff. Beck blocked the hits and backed away. Pavel made a flying leap and tried to disarm Beck, shouting “Yeah!”

Instead, Beck knocked the staff from his hand.

Keller approached just as the staff hit the ground.

“Help me kill the Rogue,” Mara said, “or get out of my way.”

Zed moved aside. “Wait.”

Mara punched him and he fell to the ground.

Beck jumped and kicked Pavel, who tried to slash at his arms. Instead, Beck managed to kick Pavel and throw him over and behind him. Pavel tried to slash, tried to punch, but Beck dodged both tries.

A hard hit from his own staff knocked Pavel unconscious.

“I had him, you know,” Beck told Keller.

“Yeah... I still needed to do that.”

Pavel jumped up, screamed, and ran in the opposite direction. Keller and Beck looked forward, and saw the dragon was about to crash into the tower.

“Run!” she said.

Mara stepped on Zed’s chest and held her sword up, ready to strike.

She raised her sword.

The dragon flew into the rod atop the tower. The rod’s energy was released, and the dancing programs in the square stopped. They shook themselves, as if waking from a nightmare.

Mara’s eyes brightened, and she got up, releasing Zed. “Oh, what happened?” She put her sword away. “How did I get here?”

“Long story,” Zed said. “Just answer me one thing. What are your feelings about the Rogue?”

Zed reached up for Mara. Mara pulled him up and put her hand on her hip. “Oh, Zed. We have to have this argument again? You know, I think he’s doing good. Will you just get over it already?”

She walked away to the stables.

“I’ll try to work on that,” Zed said, smiling.

Beck stood in the staff room, covering Tron’s armor with the blankets again. Zed walked in.

“Where’s Mara?” Beck asked.

“In her room. Changing her hair ribbons,” Zed said. He walked up to Beck and whispered behind his hand. “She was using red ones!”

“She wore red ribbons?” Beck asked.

“I met the Rogue again,” Zed said. “You know what? He’s not half bad.”

“Oh,” Beck said. “So you and the Rogue are best friends now.”

“I don’t know if I’d go that far, but...” Zed smiled. “I did teach him how to use a glider.”

He looked out the window and saw a familiar horse waiting in the paddock. “My old horse!”

Beck smiled.

Mara looked through her hair ribbons again. She picked up a yellow one, a pink one, then finally, her usual blue ones. Able’s parrot squawked “Yes,” as she untied the red ribbons from her hair and began to style it with the blue ribbons.

“Where have you been?” General Tesler shouted at Pavel. “I want this tower reconstructed, now!”

“I’m afraid it won’t do any good, sir,” Pavel said. “Keller betrayed us by sabotaging her own tower. She neutralized the pathogen.”

“Then find Keller, and neutralize her,” General Tesler said.

Keller hid in a shadowy corner of the streets, then drank a small potion. Her features smudged and changed into the disguise of a man’s.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edit log: Changed some of Zed's lines for accuracy.


	16. Welcome Home

A large new wanted poster hung on the wall of a building near the bridge with Keller’s face depicted on it. Soldiers patrolled the area, watching for Keller or the Rogue, whichever they could find. As the soldiers met up, one of them pointed at a nearby person. “There she is! Get her!”

The person ran, and the soldiers followed them across the bridge. The defector person brushed past someone in a long cloak, then kept running until one of the soldiers managed to flip the defector and knock them to the ground.

“What did I do? Just tell me!” the man shouted.

“It’s not Keller,” one of the soldiers said.

“Keep looking,” the other told him.

Keller, hidden behind her cloak and disguise, watched, walked off the bridge and boarded one of the long riverboats from the docks. Lady Paige stood on the docks, and she turned to look at the passengers of the riverboats.

On the riverboat, two men approached the cloaked Keller. 

“Ha! Looks like you just made it,” one man said.

“You can say that again,” Keller said. Her voice, as well as her face, was disguised by the potion. “Let’s hope they find this defector soon.”

“Agreed,” the other man said. “Ticket, please.”

As Keller passed the ticket to the man, her face flashed in and out of its original form. Her eyes widened.

Luckily, the ticket taker didn’t notice. “Enjoy your trip to Bismuth,” he said.

The two men walked off.

Keller’s face continued to shift back and forth between her own and the disguise. She slid lower in the riverboat seat and lifted up the potion as the riverboat hauled off.

The riverboat started to move upriver, and Keller opened the potion and took another drink. Once the disguise was restored, she sighed and tucked the potion into a pocket.

“Hello, Keller,” a voice said. Keller looked up, startled, to see Beck standing over her.

“Going somewhere?” he asked. Beck sat down next to Keller and whispered, “Don’t make a scene.”

“Who are you?” Keller asked.

“Let’s just say I’m part of a growing resistance movement in Argon,” Beck said. “And we could use someone with your talents.”

“I am not interested,” Keller said.

“Look,” Beck said. “No one defects from Tesler’s army and gets away with it. Without my help, you don’t stand--” 

Beck broke off as he spotted Lady Paige passing through the middle aisle of the riverboat and into a galley section.

“What is it?” Keller said, anxiety returning some of her original voice.

“Don’t,” Beck said. “One of Tesler’s soldiers just entered the bar.”

“You’re clear. Keep a lookout,” Paige said to the galley worker.

“We can’t just sit here,” Keller hissed. The disguise softened and melted back into her own face.

“Your disguise..” Beck said.

Keller pulled out her potion, but her hands shook and she dropped the vial. It shattered against the deck of the riverboat.

“Forget it, there’s no time,” Beck said. He pushed Keller into the nearby stairwell. “Go, take the stairs.”

He immediately turned to face Paige, who had just entered the seating area in front of them. “Paige,” he said. “How’ve you been?” He leaned against the wall near her, blocking her view of Keller.

“What?”

“It’s me, Beck. Don’t you remember?”

Paige leaned back, suspicious.

“Come on, don’t be like that,” Beck said. “Me, you? The games? We talked.”

“I talk to a lot of civilians,” Paige said. She started to walk past.

Beck moved to intercept her. “But we had something. You were putting me in handcuffs. I smiled, you didn’t. I said the cuffs were too tight, you said you didn’t care.”

Paige put a finger to Beck’s chest. “Is that supposed to be funny?”

She pushed him aside and walked through.

“Maybe this will jog your memory,” Beck said. “One goes free! One goes free!” he whisper-chanted.

Paige stopped.

“Oh, you,” she said. “I remember now. Your disc skills were adequate for an amateur.”

Beck’s smirk fell. While they talked, Keller crept up the stairs.

“Don’t feel bad,” Paige continued. “I’m sure you excel at your real job. Tell me, do you find waste disposal satisfying?”

Keller slowly climbed the stairs, only to see several guards checking the passengers on the upper deck.

“Now who thinks she’s funny?” Beck scoffed. “For your information, I’m a.. I’m an architect.”

Keller stayed low on the steps, waiting for the guards to pass.

“I’m sure your friends are proud,” Paige said. “Now move along, architect. I’ve got a job to do.”

Just as Paige could have turned around and seen Keller, she stopped as an eagle swooped beside the riverboat. Pavel stood atop it.

“Pavel,” Keller said. She hid her face behind one of the support beams.

Beck turned around and headed for the next stairway up to the highest deck. Keller crawled down and headed for another part of the riverboat.

On the upper deck, Paige confronted Pavel as he jumped off the eagle and onto the riverboat.

“Get back on that eagle, Pavel,” Paige said.

“Paige,” Pavel said insincerely. “How nice to see you too.”

“I don’t need your help.”

“Unfortunately, our always trenchant leader thinks otherwise.”

“I’ve got it under control.”

“You’ve got nothing.”  
Beck, behind the two soldiers, stayed low to the deck, listening.

“Not Keller or a clue to catch her!” Pavel continued.

Down one deck lower, Keller found a hidden canvas glider and took it off the wall.

“I told you I’ll handle it,” Paige said. “If Keller’s on this train, she won’t reach Bismuth.”

Keller opened the hatch of the deck and peeked through it.

“You’re right,” Pavel said. “Because it seems I just flushed her out!” He pointed at Keller, now standing and attaching the glider to her back. “Open fire!”

The second soldier riding the eagle drew his bow and began to loose arrows at Keller. Seeing this, Beck pulled out a dagger and threw it at the eagle’s tail feathers. Keller saw her chance and took it. She ran to the hatch, still clutching the glider. The strong winds blew the glider out of her hands and into the water. Keller landed inside of the lower deck and ran.

The soldier, still trying to control his eagle, circled and nearly shot Paige and Pavel.

Inside of the riverboat, the captain announced to the crew and everyone onboard. “Something’s got the rudder stuck. I won’t be able to stop the boat.”

“Are you happy now?” Paige shouted.

“Ecstatic,” Pavel said. “You can thank me later. Preferably on one knee in front of General Tesler.”

Beck climbed back into the lower deck.

“Thank you?” Paige said. “You and your trigger-happy pilot just turned this boat into a high-speed death sentence for hundreds of people!”

“What I did, you ingrate, was keep your target from escaping, while guaranteeing her early demise. Now get aboard, and if you’re nice I might hang around long enough to watch the fireworks. I’ve found there’s nothing like the sound of twisting wreckage to help me sleep.”

Pavel climbed onto the injured eagle.

“I am not leaving without Keller. Not until this job’s finished,” Paige said. She stayed aboard the riverboat.

“Oh Paige, how I’m going to miss you. Always predictable, right to the bitter end,” Pavel said. The eagle flew off.

In the lower deck, Beck and Keller pushed their way through the worried crowd. Keller made her way into a closed-off room with a porthole above the waves. Beck followed and stopped her as she began to open the porthole. “Are you crazy? Getting yourself killed isn’t the answer.”

“And neither is joining some ragtag revolution.”

The people on the riverboat moved aside as Paige strode through.

“Give us a chance,” Beck said.

“No. I’m not in this to choose sides. What I want is to start over. And Bismuth is just that. If I could get there, I can disappear.”

“No!” Beck pulled her away from the window, and they both stumbled back through the door.

Paige opened the door to the seating area.

“Uh, then again…” Keller said. “Maybe that’s no longer an option for me.”

“Don’t say that. Whether you decide to help us or not, I’m going to get you off this boat alive.” Beck told Keller. “Now stay out of sight.”

Beck walked purposefully toward Paige.

“Step aside.”

“What happened?” Beck asked. He angled himself to prevent Paige passing through.

“Technical difficulties. Now move. I’m looking for somebody.”

“Like me?” Beck asked.

“Excuse me?” Paige said.

“I’m who you’re looking for,” Beck said meaningfully.

Paige shoved Beck and pinned him against the wall. “Do you wanna get hurt?”

“No, I wanna repair the boat,” Beck said.

“How? You’re an architect.”

“I’m not really,” Beck said. “I’m a stablehand- but I’ve worked with boats.”

“Why did you lie?” Paige said. She continued to keep Beck pressed against the wall.

“I, I - I wanted to impress you. I’m sorry. It seemed like a good idea at the time.”

The boat shuddered and rumbled. All of the doors closed.

“Fine,” Paige said. She released Beck. “You wanna impress me? Fix that.”

“The rudder’s stuck. We won’t be able to stop at the Bismuth docks.”

“Then we’re all going to die.”

Keller pressed herself against the wall as she heard the two men talking.

“Not all of us,” one of the men said. “There’s a two-seat lifeboat. It still works.”

Keller raised her head.

“But it’s in the bottom deck. It’s sealed off.”

“Not if we come at it from the outside.”

“We’re going too fast.”

“We don’t have a choice!”

The people closed into the room with Beck and Paige watched as Beck manipulated the lock.

“If you can’t do it, just say so. For all I know, you lied about being a stablehand too.”

“Nope. But I did lie about wanting to impress you.”

“Uh huh,” Paige said, unconvinced.

“If you ask me, you’ve been impressed with me since we met,” Beck said.  _ Idiot. That’s something the Rogue might say. I can’t let her know that. _

Paige laughed, caught off guard. “Absolutely. And why is that again? I can’t seem to remember.”

The lock clicked, and the door slid open.

“Any more questions?” Beck asked.

Paige walked through the door.

The two men Keller had overheard climbed through the open porthole and up to the top deck. Keller followed them and grabbed onto the foot of one man.

“Take me with you,” she pleaded.

The man looked back, terrified. Then a chunk of wood from the boat hit him in the head, and he fell limp - dead.

“Sorry, there’s nothing I can do,” Beck told Paige. “There’s not enough left to repair.”

“Then you need to find another way to stop this boat,” Paige shouted. “‘I’m not about to let all these people die.”

“Since when does the Occupation care about sparing innocent lives?” Beck asked.

“You don’t know me, stablehand. Don’t act like you do.”

“Fair enough,” Beck said. He climbed back down to the lower level. “Tell everyone to move to the rear of the boat. I’m going to turn the boat perpendicular to the river. If we do it soon enough, the back of the boat should reach the dock safely.”

“And if it doesn’t?”

“Then it won’t matter if you’re impressed with me or not,” Beck said.

“Move to the rear of the boat!” Paige shouted as she moved through the rooms. “Repeat, for your own safety, move to the rear of the boat.”

Her voice even reached the top deck, where Keller and the man were still making their way toward the lifeboats. Once the crowds were moving, Paige returned to where Beck was working.

“You got a handle on this?”

“Wait. You can’t leave,” Beck said.

“Excuse me?”

“Uh, this sail isn’t going to turn itself,” Beck bluffed.

Paige scoffed. “You worry too much, stablehand. Especially when I’m around.” She walked up to the gear and helped Beck turn it, which began to shift the sail’s angle so the boat would slow down.

“I doubt I’m the only one,” Beck said.

“Meaning?”

“Meaning you didn’t exactly board this boat to take a leisurely ride to Bismuth, did you?”

“Like I told you,” Paige said. “I’m looking for someone.”

“And what happens when you find her?”

“Anybody ever tell you, you ask too many questions?” Paige asked. She gave a last shove and the sail locked into position. “We did it.”

“Good work,” Beck said. “What’s it feel like to save some lives for once?”

“For your information, I wasn’t always a soldier,” Paige said.

“Oh yeah?”

Paige looked up to see Keller running to the lifeboat.

“But I am now,” Paige said. She leaped up to head through the hatch and chase down Keller.

Keller and the other man climbed onto the lifeboat.

“Keller!” Paige shouted.

Keller hesitated, and the man lowered the boat without her.

“Employees only,” the man said.

“No, wait!” Paige called.

In the back of the boat, Beck climbed onto the top deck himself. “Okay Beck, you can do this.”

He whistled, and jumped onto his wyvern when it flew past. Together they flew to the front of the boat, where the lifeboat landed hard on a jutting rock. The wyvern dropped Beck into the hatch leading to the boat’s steering mechanisms.

“Keller!” Paige called again. Keller ignored her, looking for another form of escape. Paige tried the hatch, but it was locked.

As the boat continued to sail, barely slower than before, it rushed past the docks at Bismuth, to the surprise of the people waiting. Keller walked past Beck in the underbelly. Paige began sawing at the wood of the hatch with her sword, and finally managed to open it.

The boat continued forward as Keller pushed her way to the front of the boat.

“You shouldn’t have followed me, stablehand. You’re only making this more difficult,” Paige told Beck.

“Don’t do this. That woman you’re after is no different from the rest of us. She just wants to get off this train alive and go back to her… life,” Beck said. He stared out the window at the rushing current, funneling into a plume.

“I told you,” Paige said. “You worry too much.”

She walked to the front of the boat, looking for Keller. “Come out, Keller. I’m unarmed. I want you to listen carefully,” Paige said. “I’m not here to hurt you. I’m here to take you back to Argon. No questions asked.”

Keller pushed against the container on the beam where she hid.

“I know, hard to believe, right? I can understand your hesitance. Not too long ago, General Tesler offered me a second chance. I didn’t know whether or not to trust him either. But it turned out, he meant what he said. And he’s willing to do the same, for you. All you have to do is let me take you to him.”

Paige broke off, staring out the front portholes. The boat was headed for a waterfall. “The falls.”

Beck ran into the room. “You two can fight it out later. Right now you need to hold on for your life.”

“If we make it out of this alive,” Paige told Keller, “I want you to know, my offer still stands.”  
The boat listed heavily to one side, and the container fell to the ground.

“Starting now,” Paige said.

Beck climbed to the front of the boat, looking for some way to slow the boat down. He whistled, and the wyvern circled.

_ Come on, come on _ , he thought.  _ Just follow me. All I need you to do is stop the boat. _ The wyvern dove and clung to the front of the boat, dragging its tail deep into the riverbed to stop the boat.

“Go! Go!” Beck told Paige and Keller.

“Come on! Run!” Paige said. Paige and Keller ran through the riverboat to the far end, while Beck raced against the driving wind on the top deck. As the boat slowed to a stop, Beck’s wyvern straining against the current, Paige told the passengers to jump off to the banks. Paige and Keller were the final ones off the boat.

“He did it,” Keller exclaimed.

Beck slogged through the river and made his way to the banks, in time to see Paige offer Keller a warm coat in the Occupation’s red colors. He frowned.

“Hold on,” Keller said.

Beck picked up rocks and angrily threw them into the river.

“You’re alive! I can’t believe it. I thought you were dead for sure.”

“Yeah, so did I,” Beck said.

“I have to admit, you are one impressive stablehand.”

“That’s good to know, because I’m a terrible architect.”

“Paige!” Keller called. “There’s something I’ve gotta tell you.” She pointed to Beck accusingly. “He’s..”  
Beck tried to warn her with his face.

“He’s a real hero,” Keller said.

Beck sighed.

“If he wasn’t on board, I’m pretty sure things would’ve ended differently,” Keller said. “Good luck.” She gave a small wave and headed back to the giant eagles.

Paige sighed. “You should be proud of yourself. You saved many lives today.”

“Thanks,” Beck said.

“It feels good, doesn’t it? None of the soldiers under my command know this, but I was originally trained as a medic.”

_ Wow. _

“Saving someone’s life is still important to me,” Paige said.

“You know what?” Beck asked. “That’s pretty impressive, too.”

“Hey, here’s an idea,” Paige said. “Why don’t you look me up when you head back to Argon? Maybe we can… hang out.”

“Really?” Beck said. He covered his mouth. “I mean, sure. I’d like that.”

“Me too.”

Back at Tesler’s fortress, Paige led Keller into Tesler’s throne room.

“Keller, I can’t tell you how happy I am to see you again.”

“I’m happy to be home, sir,” Keller said.

“Keller’s reprieve is greatly appreciated, sir,” Paige said. “I know you’ll help her as you helped me.”

“Of course,” Tesler said. He rose from his chair and walked up to Keller. “Now leave us. She and I have much to discuss.”

Paige obeyed and left the room.

“To serve Clu is a privilege,” Keller said as she knelt before Tesler. “I won’t let you down again, sir.”

General Tesler didn’t answer.

“I won’t.”

He set one hand on her shoulder. “I know you won’t.” Tesler’s hand heated up, and its molten iron magic spread through Keller until her burned corpse fell to the floor. “Welcome home.”


	17. Rendezvous

Beck stared down at the sketch of Lady Paige’s face. He sat in the training room, looking through his diary and all the notes he’d taken about her. As he sketched in some extra details to a more recent entry, the lights in the training room flared back on.

“This isn’t what it looks like,” Beck said defensively. “I was just… gauging my opponent.”

Tron walked in. “And what did you learn?”

“That she wants to kill me.”

“Then you probably shouldn’t have agreed to go on that ‘date’ with her,” Tron said.

Beck smiled. “It’s not a date. Paige is a commander in the enemy’s army. I’m gathering intel.” He stopped for a moment and smoothed one of the flyaway brown spikes in his hair. “For the good of the uprising.”

Tron scoffed. “Your hair looks fine. It’s your stance that’s all over the place.” He lifted Beck’s hands into a fighting stance and went through a few punches and kicks. Beck managed to block the punches, but Tron’s kick succeeded and Beck hit the ground with a groan.

Beck jumped to his feet and began striking at Tron. “I’m not trying to recruit Paige because I like her.”

Tron dodged and blocked Beck’s attacks. “Since when are you recruiting her? I thought you were gathering intel.” He grabbed Beck’s arm and hoisted him over his shoulder. Beck landed hard again.

“She’s different. And she can be turned,” Beck said. He got back up. “I think. I have to try.”

Tron sighed and smoothed his own hair. “Winning her over may be a lost cause, Beck. But I won’t try to talk you out of it.”

Beck looked away. _It’s not. I won’t let it be._

The eagle’s wingbeats echoed off the rocky hillside below.

“Bet this is your first time taking a nosedive off an eagle,” Paige said.

Beck looked away and raised his eyebrows. _Not even my first time doing it beside you._ “Hmm.”

“Come on!” Paige said. “Race you to the bottom!” She jumped off the eagle’s back.

“For the good of the uprising,” Beck murmured. He dove and followed.

As the wind whistled around him, Beck bent and rolled until he was flat out, then dove again to pass Paige. She threw her arms back and turned to face him, then gently shoved him aside.

Beck chuckled.

Paige continued to dive, so he sped up to meet her.

_The wind feels colder without Tron’s armor._

The bridge came into view below them, and Paige opened her canvas glider. Beck soon followed. They landed on one of the bridge supports.

“Allow me to introduce you to the best seat in town,” Paige said. “Not bad, huh?” She sat down on the wooden arch.

Beck looked over at her, barely noticing the view. “It’s incredible.” He cleared his throat and sat down. “When you said hang out, I thought you meant go to Argon Square, or the club. Or, you know, somewhere closer to the ground.”

“You don’t like it?” Paige asked, surprised.

“Oh…” Beck said. “This is way more fun. I love it.”

Paige laughed. “I had a feeling you would. This is where I come to be alone… when I need to think.”

“I know what you mean,” Beck said. “It’s good to get away from it all. Helps to see things from a fresh perspective. Maybe the opposite perspective.”

Paige tilted her head and studied Beck’s face.

Pavel strode through the prison of Tesler’s fortress. One of the prisoners sat, hugging himself and sobbing. Pavel paused and looked into the cell, which contained two other prisoners. “Hmm. They’ll do.”

He unlocked the door and unchained their hands.

The prisoners immediately pulled out their swords.

“Oh, poor vulnerable me!” he said, in mock fear. “I just unlocked the door and your hands. And now I’m standing here defenseless! Please don’t try to escape!” He pulled out his own sword and laughed maniacally. His first slash, delivered with a swift jog past the prisoners, decapitated one and mortally wounded another. The third nearly managed to hit Pavel, but he dodged and thrust through the man’s heart.

He scraped a few spots of blood off his boot with his sword, then sheathed it and held up the translucent chunk of crystal on a chain around his neck. “Test run complete. I’d say this amulet is as good as new.”

“Didn’t you tell Tesler that thing was destroyed?” Paige said. She leaned against another wall of the prison.

“I wouldn’t recommend butting in here where you don’t belong,” Pavel said. He slowly lowered the amulet to his chest. Paige jumped over to him and held his hand up.

“Lucky for you, I’m seeing things from a fresh perspective,” she said. “So I’ll give you the chance to return that amulet to Tesler on your own.”

“And if I don’t?” Pavel asked.

“Then I’ll kill you, obviously,” she said. “But I know it won’t come to that. You have to the end of the week to do the right thing, or I’ll do it for you.”

She released his hand.

Pavel stood, tense, as she walked off.

“See? Was that so hard?”

Pavel looked down at the amulet in his hand.

“Nope. I’m done erasing records,” Gorn said.

“You have to! I need my history erased!” the man said.

“Not only is it illegal, it’s dangerous work,” she told him. “Let me have my assistant, Lomox, enlighten you.”

A tall, hulking man with a twisted smile stepped out of the shadows and pressed the man against a glass wall attached to a container.

“Corpse worms,” Gorn said. “Found only in the darkest recesses of the mines, and very effective at rewriting memories and records. If you lose control of even one, it destroys more than your past…” she said. She raised the eyepatch over her right eye, revealing an empty socket.

“I’m begging you, erase my memories! I stole a wyvern. If the guards question me and find out, they’ll kill me!”

“A wyvern? Now you’re speaking my language,” Gorn said. As the man cowered away from Lomox, Pavel walked in.

“You… out,” he told the man.

“Pavel, you’re back, so soon,” Gorn said. “Why are you still here?” she asked Lomox. “Go. Go.” She shooed him off.

“I like your new friend, Gorn. Talkative,” Pavel said. “Now, let’s discuss a little passion project of mine. We’re going to give someone near and dear to me an attitude adjustment.” He stared into the tank of corpse worms.

Beck tapped the ball with his cue and sent it rolling into one of the holes in the table.

Paige chuckled. “Show-off.”

“You think you got better?” Beck asked.

“Yeah? Well watch this,” she said. She hit the ball harder and accidentally launched it into the next table.

“Hey!” one of the men playing there said.

“Sorry,” Paige said. “He’s a first timer.”

“What can I say?” Beck said. “I’m a lost cause.”

Paige laughed as they walked away from the table. “That wasn’t supposed to happen.”

“You actually know how to enjoy yourself,” Beck said.

“Is it that surprising?” Paige asked.

“Kinda,” Beck said. “I wasn’t sure it was in your skill set.”

“Sometimes, our true skills can be a mystery,” she said. “Finding mine has been a journey.”

Beck hit several balls into one of the holes. “Maybe your journey’s not over, and you’re not really meant to fight for the Occupation,” he said.

“I don’t,” she said. “I fight for Clu.”

Beck scoffed quietly. “Sounds perfect.”

Paige sighed. “Well, there is this coworker I’ve been having issues with. But I took your advice, looked at things from a fresh perspective, and made a risky move.”

“Sometimes I wonder why we don’t take risks more often,” Beck said. He lined up his cue.

“You don’t know what it’s like to have to wear a mask all the time,” Paige said.

Beck, startled, drove the cue into the wood of the table. He stared at Paige. “You’re not wearing a mask now,” he said.

“She’s over there!” Pavel shouted as he walked in. “Arrest her!”

His guards approached Paige and two of them grabbed her shoulders. “Come with us.”

“Pavel!” she shouted. “What are you doing?”

“My duty!” Pavel said. “How could you, Paige? Conspiring to overthrow Tesler? You leave me no choice. I’m taking you in.”

“This is absurd, I haven’t done anything!” Paige said.

“Yet. Fortunately, a loyal citizen reported you before you could enact your plan,” Pavel said.

“What are you talking about?” Paige asked.

“Take her away!” Pavel said.

The soldiers jostled Paige and began to march her out of the room.

“Hey! Get your hands off her.” Beck shouted. Two more soldiers cuffed his hands. “I wouldn’t do that,” Beck said. “You don’t know who you’re messing with.”

“Oh?” Pavel said. “And who are we messing with, citizen?”

“He’s got nothing to do with this, Pavel. Leave him out of this!” Paige said.

“No, I think we’ll arrest him too,” Pavel said. “He’s obviously part of your cabal. Rubbing elbows with the great unwashed? Someone get me a towel.”

Inside their cells in the dungeon, Paige and Beck talked quietly. “I assume he was the coworker?” Beck said.

“Was it that obvious?” Paige asked.

“Maybe we could break out of here,” Beck said. “If we could get our hands unlocked-”

“That’s not going to help things. Only guilty people go on the run,” Paige said. “Besides, it’s not necessary. Once Tesler sees my testimony, he’ll know I’m innocent, and we’ll both be free. This’ll all be over soon.”

Two soldiers escorted Paige into a dark room. “Taking me to Tesler?” she asked.

They stopped and chained her arms to pillars in the middle of the room, and clamped cuffs down over her feet. “Hey! What’re you doing!”

As the soldiers left, she told them, “Once Tesler finds out about this, he’ll see that you’re executed.”

Lomox crept up behind her and dangled a corpse worm.

“Who are you?” Paige asked.

He didn’t answer, but just dropped the corpse worm onto her neck, where it climbed under her hair and burrowed in.

Paige screamed as the worm made itself comfortable.

“Tesler had his chance to lead, but he’s useless, gullible, obsolete. So I’m taking over.” The words were in her voice, but she’d never spoken them - never even consciously thought them.

“That’s a fake memory, isn’t it?” she asked.

No answer.

“Who put you up to this?” she shouted. “Who put you up to this?!”

Pavel watched, just out of sight.

The soldiers threw Paige back into the cell with Beck.

“Paige!”

As the soldiers locked the door, Beck kept her from falling over. “What did they do to you?”

“They made me a guilty person,” she said. “Guess that means I should act like a guilty person.”

When the guards passed by again, they noticed Beck sitting in his cell. One of them unlocked the door and poked at him with his staff. “Hey. Get up, prisoner. Where’s the commander?”

Beck lay still, then Paige dropped from above them and used the staff to hurl the guard aside.

The second guard put up his staff.

“Don’t even think about it,” Beck said. He pressed the guard to the wall using the staff, then turned out of the cell. Paige unlocked their hands and locked the cell door.

An alarm bell began to ring as they raced through the prison. A small group of guards approached them.

“Stay behind me,” Paige said.

She ran ahead and took down the soldiers, using elbows and knees to pound them into the ground. Beck ran past and grabbed one of the soldier’s whistles. He tossed one to Paige. “Catch!”

Both of them used the whistles to call horses to them. As they ran, dragons chased them from above. Soon wanted posters with Paige’s face on them hung all across Argon.

“We should head for the outlands!” Beck called. “It’s our only chance!”

“What do you mean, we?” Paige asked.

“We’re in this together,” Beck said.

“No. I’m a lost cause, Beck.”

“No, you’re not!”

She drew closer to his horse. “And you have to let me go.” She kicked Beck’s horse, causing it to run away from her.

“Paige!”

Beck cried out as she saw her turn back to the prison. He called again as a catapult launched a large rock toward her and her horse. Paige jumped off the horse and slid under the missile, then called the horse back to her and sped off once she was past the catapult. The soldiers operating it couldn’t turn the catapult in time to launch at her again.

Paige stomped into Gorn’s hideout. “You’re the one who forges memories!” she shouted.

She slashed her sword into Gorn’s desk.

“What do you want from me?” Gorn said fearfully.

“I think you know that answer,” Paige said.

“I already told you, go away. I don’t erase memories,” she said.

“What? What are you talking--”

“I was afraid we’d find you here,” Pavel said.

Tesler hummed.

“General,” Paige said. But before she could say more, she nearly choked on the words the corpse worm mimicked. “Tesler had his chance to lead, but he’s useless, gullible, obsolete, so I’m taking over.”

“She’s the one who came to me,” Gorn shouted. “That’s what she wanted erased.”

“General, she’s lying!” Paige shouted. “I’ve never been here before!”

“I saved your life!” Tesler said. “And this is how you repay me?”

“No, no, no, no! It’s not true! I’m innocent!” Paige said. 

“Get her out of my sight,” Tesler said.

Paige stared as he walked away and a guard clamped his hand around her arm.

The crowd cheered as Paige galloped through the arena and stabbed her lance into her opponent. She paused, mounted, as the next gladiator lined up. Both opponents rode furiously toward each other, and Paige rammed him through as well.

Up above the stands, Beck smiled through Tron’s helmet.

Paige took off her helmet and frowned.

“We’re running out of gladiators to fight her,” Tesler said. “Is there not one person in Argon worthy of Paige?”

“Mmm, there is one, sir,” Pavel said.

He strode into the arena, a blast of heat surrounding him as he went.

“Citizens of Argon! Distinguished guests from around the Kingdom! We now present the one and only warrior worthy of locking blades with the traitorous ex-commander Paige.” Pavel threw his arms out. “Me!”

The crowd roared.

“Oh, really,” Paige said.

“I might have brought a little help,” Pavel said. His eyes flashed red, and he leaped high into the air.

He unsheathed his sword and slammed it into the ground, producing a quake with enough force to knock Paige off her feet.

She somersaulted and dodged as Pavel threw knives at her. When she unsheathed her own sword, Pavel was already behind her with his sword drawn. She slashed, but he ducked back and punched her. Paige went flying.

She recovered and threw another knife at him. He easily dodged it, not even appearing to move out of the way.

Paige slashed at Pavel, this time managing to make her blade ring against his, but he parried and she fell to the ground again.

Pavel threw another knife, and this time the impact created a crater. He jumped over it and chased Paige, throwing another and creating another pit on the arena floor. Paige leaped across it, but only managed to catch the edge and hang on.

“Pavel, you know me. I’m innocent.”

“It’s your disloyalty that brought us here,” Pavel said. He stomped, and Paige began to lose her grip on the side of the pit. 

“You don’t really wanna do this, Pavel,” Paige said. “That amulet is messing with your head.”

“Goodbye, Paige,” Pavel said. He stomped again, and Paige let go of the edge.

A black and white streak dove into the pit and caught Paige, then sharply rose until the form of a wyvern became visible.

Beck carefully steered the wyvern higher.

“You!” Paige shouted. “You did this! Why?”

“Looked to me like you were about to die,” Beck said.

“Land this wyvern now!” Paige said. She unsheathed her sword and held it to Beck’s neck.

A stream of fire surprised both of them and the wyvern began to fall, one wing weakened.

“All you did was make me look guilty,” Paige said.

Dragons, eagles, and soldiers began to surround them.

Beck nimbly dodged the fire, but the wyvern was hit. It fell, and Beck and Paige fell with it.

Beck dove and wrapped his arms around Paige, then pulled open his glider to come to an awkward landing on the bridge.

“Aah!” Paige cried. Beck helped her up, but in return, was hit across the face as Paige attacked viciously.

“Paige!”

Another punch was his only answer.

“Listen! I know you’re innocent,” Beck said, but Paige hit him again, and again, finally knocking him onto his back near the edge of the platform.

“You don’t deserve what they did to you,” he said.

Paige ran up to him, ready to knock him down, but stopped her hand as it neared his helmet.

“Your own team framed you, tried to kill you,” Beck said. “But you’d never do that because you’re not like them. Join me. We can work together.”

Paige turned away.

“We’re both trying to save the Kingdom, just in different ways.”

“No!” Paige shouted. “You’re destroying the Kingdom! You rain down chaos, and I won’t rest until you’re stopped. I could never join you.”

“I’m fighting for you, too,” Beck said.

“Then you’ve already lost!” Paige shouted. She walked off to leave the bridge platform.

Paige ran through the docks, her helmet and cloak hiding her from view. But soldiers mounted on eagles hovered above her.

“Halt, civilian,” one said.

She removed her helmet and held her hands up.

One of the eagles landed.

“Did you really think I wouldn’t have all of your escape routes covered?” Tesler asked.

“I’m just trying to find out who framed me,” Paige said.

“I already know who framed you, Paige,” Tesler said.

Two soldiers let Pavel through. “Paige,” he said. “You’re okay! Thank goodness!”

“It was the Rogue, Paige,” Tesler said. “You can thank Pavel for going back to Gorn and uncovering the real truth.”

Pavel nodded. “I saw it with my own eyes. ‘Make sure she looks guilty. I’ll enjoy watching Paige suffer’.”

“You saved me?” Paige asked, suspicious. “But you tried to kill me earlier. With..”

“With this?” Tesler asked. He held up the amulet.

“See, Paige? I was always going to turn it in,” Pavel said. “Once I knew it worked.”

“Excellent work, Pavel,” Tesler said. “To reward you, I’m granting you command of your own district.”

“My own district?” Pavel said.

“Purgos,” Tesler said. “That foul stink hole where Gorn operated. You’re the best person to clean it up for me.”

“Congratulations,” Paige said. “Oh, and thanks for having my back. I’ll be sure to return the favor. Somehow, some way.”

Beck knocked another ball into place. He paused as he spotted Paige standing across the table.

“You made it,” he said. “I was afraid you were a no-show.”

“I got my job back,” she said. “Don’t worry, I made sure they won’t come after you.”

“That’s not why I’m worried,” Beck said.

“Look,” Paige said. “Because I listened to your advice, I got soft. I lost focus. And that’s why I can’t be with you. I’m sorry.”

She left, and the room seemed to darken.

“Good news,” Pavel told Gorn. “Your friend Lomox was very cooperative. Tesler bought your latest forgery. We’re in the clear.”

He turned as if to leave, then said, “Oh, and I trust you’ll keep mum about my involvement, of course.”

Gorn grunted and growled through the gag on her face.

“That’s the spirit, Gorn. Just smile and nod your head.”


	18. No Bounds

The Rogue looked at himself in a window pane, then turned to continue on. He looked over a busy road where two soldiers had cornered a pair of citizens. Mara and some other people walked past, hurried by the soldiers.

“There must be some mistake,” the man told the soldiers. “I would never hide wine from General Tesler.”

“Last chance, citizen,” the soldier said. “Show us where the wine is!”

The other soldier drew his sword and held it up to the woman’s face.

Before he could further threaten her, one of the soldiers outside shouted, then was cut off by a thrown knife. His corpse landed in front of the soldier threatening the woman. The Rogue threw a knife into the next soldier, leaving only the soldier who was interrogating.

“Stand down,” the soldier ordered the Rogue.

When the Rogue continued forward, the soldier threw a knife of his own. The Rogue knocked the knife away, and it flew back at the soldier, who fell dead.

“Thank you. You saved our lives,” the man said.

“You want to thank me?” the Rogue asked. “Show me the wine you’re hiding.”

The man looked at the woman uncertainly.

“Come on, I’m on your side. Remember?” the Rogue said. 

The man turned to a panel in the wall and pried it open, revealing several casks of wine. “Well, I, I guess we’re both fighting the Occupation in our own way,” the man said.

“True, except I work alone,” the Rogue said. He drew his sword and stabbed the man through.

The woman ran.

The Rogue followed her and tackled her to the ground.

“No! Don’t hurt me! Please!” the woman begged.

The Rogue sheathed his sword and leaned in close. “Tell them what I did.” He stood and walked away, then made a quick gesture with his hand.

“Guess who’s back?” he muttered, as the casks of wine behind him burst into flames.

Cyrus removed the Rogue’s helmet, revealing a face scarred and shattered from his stay in the mirror world. He laughed cruelly as he continued to walk away.

A small crowd gathered around the scene, which was cordoned off by fences. Mara sat on a bench nearby as a medic checked her over.

“You’re lucky you’re alive,” Beck said.

“I know,” Mara said. “It’s not even safe to deliver a horse anymore without body armor.”

“Anybody know why the shop exploded?” Zed asked.

“Tron did it,” Mara said.

Both Zed and Beck startled and looked at her.

“What?” Beck said. _But - I wasn’t even here! And Tron doesn’t have the armor right now._

“I know,” Mara said. “It made no sense to me either. But there was a girl here, the shop’s sole survivor. She told everybody the story, and described the guy terrorizing her, and it sounded like it had to be him - silver armor and all.”

“Maybe he finally flipped out,” Zed suggested. “Fighting an entire Occupation by yourself can’t be easy.”

Beck frowned. “Tron’s not a killer.”

“Well, something’s changed,” Mara said. “Because according to what I saw, he was enjoying it.”

“Hold still,” the medic said. She grabbed onto a chunk of wood embedded in Mara’s leg. “This is gonna sting.”

Mara looked away and grunted.

“Whoa. That’s a big piece of…” Zed said, but he hit the ground in a faint before he finished the sentence.

Mara laughed. “Oh, Zed!”

Beck bent down over Zed and lightly slapped his face. “Zed, come on buddy. Wake up.” He carried Zed up to his feet.

“Is he okay?” Mara asked.

“What… what happened?” Zed asked.

“No worries,” Beck said. “Everything’s fine.”

He scanned the worried crowd, then spotted Cyrus in a cloak near the edge of it. Beck let go of Zed and dashed off to chase Cyrus.

Zed grunted and fell to the ground again. “Ouch.”

Beck ran to the edge of the fence, but was stopped by a passing wagon. Once the wagon had passed, he lost track of Cyrus. He turned, then caught another glimpse of Cyrus and followed, despite the crowd’s protests.

He ran and tried to catch up to Cyrus’ long stride, but a chariot slammed into him and he hit the ground.

The chariot driver hopped out. “That wasn’t my fault!” he said defensively.

“I know, I know. I’m fine,” Beck said. He continued to run in the direction Cyrus had left.

Soon there was no obvious sign of where to go.

“Show yourself!” Beck shouted. “I’m done playing games.”

Footsteps tapped above him. “That’s too bad, Rogue. Because I’m just getting warmed up.”

Beck jumped and began to climb through the ladders and wooden decorations of the wall beside him. He clambered up the roof and entered through an open window near the top of the building.

Cyrus’ laughter, behind him, made Beck turn. Cyrus walked past on a board connecting the two nearest roofs.

Beck ran through the building and out onto the top, stopping at the edge of the roof. Cyrus stood directly across from him.

“You’re just as persistent as I remember,” Cyrus said. He kicked the board away, removing the path for Beck.

“I liked you better when I thought you were dead,” Beck said.

“Did you lose something?” Cyrus asked. He pulled out his sword and waved it around. The motion made his cloak shift, and Beck spotted silver armor beneath it.

Beck lunged forward, then stopped at the edge of the roof. He looked at the steep drop beneath him and saw there was no clear path to Cyrus.

When he looked up, Cyrus was gone.

“This can’t be happening,” Beck said. He walked to the pile of blankets where he hid Tron’s armor, and moved the blankets aside.

The silver armor lay there, clean and undisturbed.

“Right where I left it,” Beck murmured. “But why would he want me to-”

“Beck?” Able said.

Beck turned, still holding the helmet in his hand.

“Everything okay?” Able asked.

“I - I’m good,” Beck said. He covered the armor with the blankets.

“You want to stick with that answer?” Able asked.

“I do,” Beck said. He walked past Able and out of the room.

“Hm.”

Beck read the red lettering stamped onto the Wanted posters for the Rogue as he ran by. “Threat level is now red. The Rogue is wanted for the unlawful killing of civilians. Do not approach. Extremely dangerous.”

He buckled Tron’s helmet on, only to be wracked with pain as the metal touched his skin. It was the same burning - the same electricity - as Cyrus’ deadly tool in the mirror world. Beck grunted in pain as he pulled the metal away from him, then finally managed to remove it.

Tron placed the fake helmet into a small box of light.

“You lied to me!” Beck pointed accusingly. “You knew he was out there and you never told me.”

Tron grabbed Beck’s arm and turned his wrist, revealing Beck’s burn scars. “No. It seems _you_ knew he was out there. As far as I was concerned, he was locked away.”

“Don’t twist this back on me! I deserve the truth, and you’re gonna give it to me,” Beck said.

Tron looked at the helmet. “Truth is, Cyrus was a mistake. He was never worthy of my name or the armor. All that mattered to him was bringing about the end of everything we know.”

He turned to face Beck again. “Which is why I chose you instead. You fight for the things you care about, things like your city, and your friends.”

“That’s right,” Beck said shortly. “But now your lying has put them all in jeopardy.”

“I stand behind my decision,” Tron said. “I did what I knew was best for you, and for the revolution.”

“Then I’m done,” Beck said. “It’s obvious we’re not on the same page anymore.” He began to walk off.

“You can’t run away from this, Beck!” Tron shouted after him. “Quitting is exactly what Cyrus wants you to do.”

“You don’t know that!” Beck said. He almost turned, but kept going. “Goodbye, Tron. I have to protect my friends from your mistake.”

Beck stomped into the tavern, only to be met with Mara.

“Beck!” She waved from the counter.

“Mara.” “You’re finally here,” Mara said.

“Where’s Zed?” Beck asked. “Let’s go somewhere else. I need to clear my head.”

“Then it’s true,” Mara said. “You quit.”

_How does she know? What?_ “What are you talking about?”

“Sorry, but your secret’s out,” Mara said. “Your friend already told us everything.”

_Friend? Who? Who told her?_

“Beck!” Zed called. He walked over. “Now we finally know where you spend all your time. I’d skip out on work too if it meant hanging out with this guy!” Cyrus walked alongside Zed.

Beck gasped.

“Glad you made it, buddy,” Cyrus said.

Beck scowled as he passed.

“Come join us. I was just about to tell our friends how we met.”

Cyrus ordered a bowl of a mead drink. “Enjoy, everyone.”

“Thanks, but I’m not thirsty,” Beck said.

“What’s the matter? You and the boss not seeing eye to eye?”

Beck grinned sarcastically. “Actually, he said he’d never trained anyone as good as me.”

Cyrus’ eyebrows turned a fraction lower.

“I’m confused,” Mara said. “Did you quit your job at the garage or not, Beck?”

“Of course not,” Beck said. “Whoever told you that is a lunatic. We should lock him up and throw away the key.”

“Ouch,” Zed said. “Beck one, Cy zero. Don’t take that from him!” He punched Cyrus playfully.

“It’s Cyrus,” he corrected Zed. “Why so combative, _pal_?” he asked Beck. “Are you feeling misunderstood? Like nobody knows the real you? Tell me, because I’m here to help you. Just like you did me.”

“I don’t have a clue what you’re talking about… Cy.” Beck said.

Cyrus gave another miniature frown.

“Come on, get to the good stuff,” Zed said. “Tell us how you guys met.”

“Yeah, tell us,” Mara said.

“Of course,” Cyrus said. “What do you say, Beck? Do you want to tell them, or should I?”

Just then, the music changed at the tavern. Mara jumped up. “Oh! This is it! I love this song. Zed, come on. Dance with me.” She pulled him up from his seat.

“What? But I want to hear--”

“It can wait,” Mara said. “Promise us no juicy Beck stories until we get back.”

“Are there any other kind, darling,” Cyrus said dryly.

“Seriously? I love this guy,” Zed said.

Mara pulled Zed away to dance, and Beck turned to speak to Cyrus.

“Give me back my armor.”

“Gladly,” Cyrus said. He set the helmet down on the table. 

Beck reached for it.

“Hold on. I thought you quit,” Cyrus said. He grabbed onto the helmet.

“Let go,” Beck said.

“Make me.” Cyrus laughed. “What’s the matter, Rogue? Punch me. Headbutt me. Bring it!” He tugged the helmet toward himself. 

Beck pulled back and slammed the helmet into the table.

“Oh, how stupid of me. You won’t fight because your precious friends are here. To tell you the truth, that Zed rubs me the wrong way. Now Mara, on the other hand…” Cyrus looked at the two dancing. “She grows on you. I like her… a lot.”

“Stay away from them.” Beck slammed his hands onto the table and looked at Cyrus.

“Or what?” Cyrus laughed again. “That’s your problem. You don’t kill people, do you? But like I said, I’m gonna help you out. I’m gonna free you from your indecisive thinking.”

“I’m done listening,” Beck said.

“Well, then take action. I have it from a good source that Argon’s ‘new’ Rogue has planted a bomb in Able’s stables. Get there in time, you can disarm it. Get there too late, and, well…” Cyrus stood up and started to leave. “You know the drill.”

“You forget,” Beck said. “I visited your special prison. I know your tricks.”

“Beck, comrade, from one rogue to another, sometimes a bomb is just a bomb.” Cyrus placed his hands on Beck’s shoulders, then turned and left.

Beck rode through Argon toward the stables. When he reached them, he jumped off his horse in the middle of the courtyard. “I need everyone to get out. This is an emergency! Go!”

“Beck, what’s going on?” Able asked.

“There’s a bomb.”

“In my stables?”

Beck spotted a flame creeping down a fuse, connected to the saddlebags on his horse. “Oh, no. Get down!”

He tackled Able down to keep him away from the blast.

Able threw the casing of the bomb onto the table in his office. “Cyrus is a creature of habit.”

“Wait. You know him?”

Able scoffed. “Who do you think built his prison? If we dig deep enough, we’ll find that all of his explosives are repurposed from materials available to him. Ya know, you should have told me what happened.”

“I didn’t want to drag you into this.”

“So you lied.”

“But for a good reason,” Beck protested.

“Just like Tron lied to you.”

“No, it was--”

“For exactly the same reason. He was protecting you, just like you thought you were protecting me.”

“Yeah, well, it seemed different at the time,” Beck said sharply. “Which is why I quit.”

“Quit? You can’t quit,” Able said.

“But I can’t trust him. Cyrus said--”

“Cyrus?” Able exclaimed. “Don’t you know you can’t believe anything that man says? It’s how he beats you. He tricks you into doing one thing, when it’s really about another! Just like your poor horse. Cyrus never even had to lift a finger. He let you hand-deliver the bomb straight to his target! He could have sent you anywhere!”

“The fake helmet!” Beck exclaimed.

The helmet shook within the box it had been contained in and shattered it. The cracks spread throughout Tron’s hideout, putting out torches until the rooms were dark.

Tron gasped and turned. Cyrus’ scars glimmered in the darkness.

“What, no hug?”

Beck and Able rode through the snowy plains to Tron’s hideout. They walked through the door, only to meet near-perfect darkness.

Cyrus’ voice shattered the silence. “I-I-I-I knew you’d come.” The sound came from the fake helmet, repeating the broken message. When Beck approached, the message shifted. “So, let the games begin.”

“I’m not here to play games,” Beck said.

“Correction - it’s the only reason you’re here. How sad. Even my prerecorded message finds you predictable. But enough about me. Our beloved mentor, Tron, believes in a free kingdom, but that’s a lie. All fates lead to the same thing. No one in the kingdom chooses their destiny. Until now.”

Two images of light shone to either side of Beck. Tron stood, chained to a pole, while in the other image, Mara and Zed were chained together.

“Today your future is up to you. Stablehand, or Rogue. Who will you be? I have left you a single key that can free them. But you can’t be in two places at once.”

Beck grabbed the key and tossed it to Able. “Here. Make sure Zed and Mara are safe.”

“What are you gonna do?” Able asked.

“I’ll think of something.”

As Beck and Able rode off, the rest of Cyrus’ message rang in Beck’s ears.

“On one end of the city, over Argon Square, Tron is waiting for you in a storage room with a bomb on his back. While far away, your friends are locked in a crane high over the docks in the same explosive predicament. No matter what you do, someone will not survive. So with time running out, I have to ask… Who will you save?”

Able forced his horse to gallop as fast as it could to the docks, while Beck dismounted in the silos near Argon Square.

Mara looked up to see Able opening the door.

“Able!” Zed called.

“Help us!”

“Tron!” Beck called.

“Quickly, get it off of me, and we can still rescue your friends,” Tron told him. 

Beck worked at the chains with Bodhi’s tools, picking the lock.

“It’s already taken care of. Able’s on his way now, to get them with the key.” He concentrated on the lock. “Come on.”

“What’s the matter, Able?” Mara pleaded.

“Yeah, get them off of us!” Zed said.

“I should have known it,” Able said. “The key’s no good! It was a trick.”

“A trick? Whose trick?” Zed asked.

Able worked at the tools using his tools. “Would you please stop jabbering? I can barely think straight.”

“There we go,” Beck said. He untangled the chains from Tron’s body. “Picked it.”

“Excellent work, Beck,” Tron said.

“Don’t thank me, thank Bodhi,” Beck said.

As the two started to run for the exit, Cyrus walked into their path. “Going somewhere?” He looked at Beck. “You pick him over your friends. How predictable.”

“If my friends are hurt, I will kill you with my bare--” Beck rushed at Cyrus, but immediately was kicked hard in the torso.

“Finally! Some fire! Some vigor!”

Beck ran at Cyrus again, but misjudged and ran past him. Cyrus flipped and kicked Beck against the wall.

“Your friends aren’t hurt, you idiot. They’re dead.”

Tron lunged at Cyrus and threw a punch, but Cyrus ducked away easily. The next few strikes Cyrus countered and caught. He stood there, holding one of Tron’s fists, then punched him, hard, in the stomach.

Beck ran at Cyrus and shouted, then grunted in pain when Cyrus slammed his head against the wall. “You killed them when you decided to rescue Tron instead.” He turned to see the bomb and chains, missing the key. “Wait. Where’s the key?”

Cyrus flung Beck aside. “This is spectacular! You’ve sent someone else to retrieve your friends.”

“Admit it. He’s beaten you, Cyrus,” Tron said hoarsely.

“No! You don’t have a clue what he’s done!” Cyrus shouted.

“What does that mean? What did you do? Tell me!” Beck lunged at Cyrus, but Cyrus picked him up and threw him over his back.

“Look at him panicking,” Cyrus said. “He’s failed you, just like he’s failed them.”

“No,” Tron growled. “You’re my only failure!”

Cyrus drew his sword slowly. “Liar!” He jumped at Tron and swung his sword.

Tron grabbed Cyrus’ arm and twisted him to the ground. He turned to look at Beck. “Go! Help Able! Go!”

Tron used his free hand to pull his own sword out. “I should have done this a long time ago.”

“You took the words right out of my mouth,” Cyrus said. He shoved Tron off him using his back and swiped his sword at him. “Come on!” He lifted Tron, but Tron took him off balance and flung Cyrus over him.

Cyrus grabbed Tron’s arm and back, then shoved him against the wall. He drove his sword beside Tron’s head. “Say it! Say I’m stronger than you! Say I’m smarter!”

“No.”

Tron kicked Cyrus’ arm, forcing him to let go of the sword. Cyrus lunged at Tron and swung at him wildly. Tron dodged the strikes. Cyrus jumped into a flip and kicked at Tron. Tron hit the ground hard.

Cyrus hit Tron on the back and head. “I want you to perish with the words on your lips.”

Tron grabbed Cyrus’ shoulder and threw him forward. Cyrus ran to Tron and kicked him. Tron threw a punch, and Cyrus grabbed his wrist, then slapped him hard across the chest.

Tron stumbled back, and Cyrus hit the side of his head with the flat of his blade. Then Cyrus hit him across the back, knocking Tron to the ground. Tron lay close to the unarmed bomb.

“Tell me I deserve to be your successor.” He lunged and held Tron against the ground. “Call me Tron!”

“Never.” Tron grabbed the bomb and tangled the chains around Cyrus’ body. Cyrus stared at it as Tron pulled the tools from the keyhole. “How predictable.”

“No. Oh… no…” Cyrus stumbled back.

“Got it!” Able said. He released the chains from around Zed and Mara.

“Able, you still haven’t told us how we ended up here,” Mara said.

“Yeah, who did this to us?” Zed asked.

“With all that’s happened, I’m surprised you haven’t figured it out already,” Able said. “The person who attacked you is--” He was cut off by a loud crackle as the bomb in his hand activated.

Cyrus cried out as the bomb connected to him lit up and crackled. He screamed and stumbled over the edge of the balcony.

Able continued to scream as the bomb scorched his clothes and body.

Tron stumbled toward the balcony’s edge and stared down. Far below lay the bomb’s casing and a pool of blood.

“Run!” Able shouted.

Mara moaned. “Able!”

Zed pulled her out of the door, and they jumped from the crane into the water just as the bomb exploded.

Beck jumped off his horse. “Zed,” he said, as he looked at the wreckage. The top of the crane fell into the water, leaving only a fiery stump like an angry hand reaching into the sky.

People began to gather as Mara and Zed crawled out of the water. 

“Oh, you’re alive,” Beck said, relieved. He walked up to them.

The crowd gasped, recognizing the Rogue armor. Mara looked up at him.

“There he is! That’s him!” one person shouted.

“He did this!”

“He killed Able,” Mara said quietly, disbelievingly. Her hair ribbons and curls hung limp and wet.

“Mara, no,” Zed said.

“He did this!” Mara shouted angrily. “He killed Able!”

“Able,” Beck said. “No, wait!” The crowd moved in to him, shouting. Beck stumbled back and ran for his horse. He had no choice but to ride off. Soon he’d lost the crowd and made his way away.

In the stables, Mara stood in Able’s office and turned off the light, leading the parrot behind her.

“Able’s gone,” Tron said. “The city’s against you. Your friends blame you for it all. And it’s only going to get worse.” Beck and Tron stood on a roof near the stables. Tron’s scar contrasted starkly against his skin, burning red and inflamed.

“I know,” Beck said. He put the helmet back on. “And I’m ready.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, one last chapter! This has been fun to do, I hope you all have had as much fun reading as I have writing it!


	19. Terminal

“Able’s dead,” Zed said. “Just doesn’t seem real.” “Well, get used to it,” Mara said. “Because it is real, and it’s the Rogue’s fault.” She stared down at her feet within the small crowd of stable workers.

“Come on, we don’t know that.”

“He did it, Zed. He kidnapped us and he blew up the crane with Able inside it,” Mara said. Her voice trembled with sorrow and anger.

“Just like he blew up that shop,” Copper pointed out.

“And part of the stable,” Dash added.

“Yes,” the parrot squawked.

“You see that?” Mara said. “Even the parrot can put it together. So why can’t you? Or do you need the Rogue to walk in here and tell you himself?” She put her hands on her hips.

“I’m with Zed,” Beck said as he walked in. The small crowd turned to look at him and let him through. “It makes no sense.”

“And how would you know, Beck?” Mara asked. “You weren’t there. You’re never there.”

She passed Beck by and slammed the door closed behind her.

Beck shouted as he punched and jump-kicked into an illusion of Tron. The illusion hit the ground hard, but Beck immediately had to defend against an attack from another illusory Tron.

“No one said it would be easy,” Tron said.

“But she blames the Rogue,” Beck said. He caught the punch and threw this illusion to the ground. Another Tron appeared and caught him in a headlock.

“Then convince her she’s wrong.”

“You don’t know Mara,” Beck said. He struggled against the grip of the illusion as another Tron ran at him with a staff in hand.

“I know you.”

Beck endured a hard hit to his torso and another to his leg, but he managed to hurl the illusion holding him to the ground.

Both it and the illusion approaching Beck flickered and disappeared.

“Hey, I wasn’t finished,” Beck objected.

He turned to look at Tron.

“Beck,” Tron grunted out, then stumbled to the ground, one hand at his chest.

“Tron!” 

Beck ran over to him and turned Tron over. His scar, red and raw, had opened further even than it had been with Dyson. Beck picked Tron up and carried him into the healing chamber.

The spells swirled, but their light was dimmer and grayer than before.

“Come on,” Beck said. “Hang on, Tron!” He pushed out mentally, trying to strengthen the spells with his mind, but it didn’t work - he wasn’t experienced or strong enough. “Think, Beck, think!”

He stood in the doorway. “Don’t give up, Tron! You can do it. Fight!”

Instead of strengthening, the spells within the room dimmed further and spit Tron out into the main chamber. “Tron!”

Beck turned him over again. “Hey,” he said quietly.

“It’s no use,” Tron said, his voice rumbling slightly.

“Don’t say that. We’ll renew the spells,” Beck said.

“It won’t make a difference, Beck,” Tron whispered. “I’m.. I’m dying. The damage done to me by Cyrus was far more extensive than I first thought. It compromised my healing ability. I can’t fight this off anymore. The curse is… eating me alive.”

“Well, I won’t let it,” Beck said. He helped Tron up. “I won’t lose you and Able both.” Beck tried to carry Tron, but Tron stumbled and fell again. Beck bent down over him.

“Beck, I can’t be saved. We need to prepare for the inevitable.” “How much time do you have left?” Beck asked.

“Two days, maybe three at the most,” Tron said. He placed a hand on Beck’s shoulder. “You are Tron now. The uprising depends on it.”

Beck stood in the stablehands’ room, looking at the worn wooden shelves, marked with names. Bodhi’s and Able’s shelves stood side by side, as if waiting for them to come back and use them.

Beck pulled open Able’s shelf and collected the tools within it, but his hand stopped at an inked parchment. The paper held a drawing of Able, Beck, Mara, and Zed, leaning on each other like the family they were. He sighed hard, set the parchment down, and closed the cupboard.

A shadow fell on the shelf, and Beck whirled, dropping the tools.

“Sorry, you okay?” Zed asked. He bent down to pick up the tools.

“Yeah,” Beck said. “I thought I could do this. But, now I’m not so sure I’m ready.”

“What’s the rush?” Zed asked. “Able’s cupboard can wait. When the time is right, you’ll know it. In the meantime, it’ll be like Able’s still here. Like he’s watching over us.”

“Thanks, Zed,” Beck said.

Beck walked through the streets, and was tackled by a hooded man with his sword drawn.

“Your sword or your life,” the man said.

Beck grabbed the man’s sword arm and pinned him against a wall. “You were saying?”

He let go and prepared to run, but the man jumped onto him and he only barely managed to keep him from landing a hit with his sword.

The hooded man laughed, still lying on the ground.

“You think that’s funny?” Beck asked. “Get up and I’ll show you what hilarious feels like.” He drew his sword and held it up.

“You haven’t lost a step, have you?” the man asked. “You’re still the best I ever fought beside.”

Beck lowered his sword. “Do I know you?”

The man pulled his hood down, revealing a familiar, chiseled dark brown face.

“Cutler!” Beck said.

“It’s good to see you, old friend,” Cutler said.

“It’s good to see you,” Beck said. He put his hand on Cutler’s shoulder. “What are you doing in Argon?”

“I came here to warn you. Clu’s on his way with a powerful new weapon,” Cutler said. “But I know how to stop him.”

“How?” Beck asked.

Cutler heard footsteps and moved Beck to stand in the shadows of a wall. “Not here,” he said. “You need to get word to Tron. Tell him I know how we can ambush Clu. Tell him to meet me at the docks at dawn tomorrow.”

The sun hovered just below the horizon as Beck donned Tron’s armor near the docks.

“Right on time, Cutler,” he said as he spotted his friend looking around.

“Tron,” Cutler said.

“Beck told me you were back in Argon,” Beck said. “I’m glad. The resistance needs more people like yourself. Now let’s talk about this ambush you’ve planned.”

“Of course,” Cutler said. “It’s simple, really.”

The large crates behind him broke open, revealing a squad of Occupation soldiers in each.

Beck turned around, only to see Cutler donning a coat with red Occupation markings.

“No,” Beck whispered. _Not Cutler!_

“It all starts with your surrender,” Cutler said.

“Clu reconditioned you,” Beck said.

“Clu showed me the light,” Cutler said. The soldiers surrounded them, closing in on Beck. “It’s time to come home, Tron! You don’t have to die.”

Beck’s shoulders lowered in relief. “At least we agree on something.”

He stepped back over the edge of the dock and called his wyvern, then swooped out over the sea.

“Sir,” one of the soldiers said.

Cutler raised one hand. “Wait for it.”

Beck looked back and grinned when none of the soldiers were following, but a loud noise made him look forward again.

Yellow and black scales splashed up through the surface of the sea, bit by bit revealing the huge draconic form of Clu’s giant dragon.

Beck urged his wyvern higher. “Climb! Climb!” The wyvern strained, but couldn’t fly over the dragon’s back, and it began to fall from the harsh angle.

Beck hit the water as the giant dragon’s legs cleared the surface.

Cutler looked over the sea, not expecting Beck to return, but he burst through the surface on his wyvern and flew over Cutler and his men.

“Stay on him!” Cutler ordered.

The whole platoon of soldiers called their own wyverns and flew off after Beck. Clu’s giant dragon continued to rise and head for Argon.

Beck flew over the sea, then noticed the red wyverns headed for him. He guided his own wyvern over and behind one of them, then threw a knife into the red wyvern, which fell into the sea and dumped its rider off.

“We fire on your command,” one of the great dragon’s riders told Cutler.

“No. We take him alive.”

One of the wyvern riders behind Beck urged his wyvern, which opened its mouth and began to breathe fire at Beck’s wyvern. Clouds of steam rose from the sea beneath them as Beck dodged the flames.

“I said I want him alive!” Cutler said. He pushed the rider aside and fired the crossbow at one of his own men instead of Beck. Beck flew his wyvern through a narrow crack in the cliffs, filled with thin spears of rock. Many of the soldiers following him hit the rocks, but two of them managed to weave through and pursue Beck.

“Force him into the open,” Cutler said. “Take down that ridge.”

Catapults on top of the great dragon launched their boulders, knocking over a rock spire and blocking Beck’s path.

He pushed his wyvern up to fly over the rocks, but the wyvern riders behind him caught up and breathed more fire. One of the wyvern riders hit Beck’s wyvern, and the blast knocked Beck off his wyvern.

He free-fell, then grabbed onto the wyvern rider below him. Beck pushed the rider off and took control of the wyvern. Once he was able to guide the wyvern, he flew along the cliff face and back through another crack in the rocks. The wyvern rider behind him whirled to keep on track. Beck spotted the rider behind him, and flew straight up. His wyvern’s tail slashed and knocked the rider off the other wyvern.

No one else flew after him. Beck turned back and flew back to the gigantic dragon, which hovered near the edge of the cliffs. He jumped off the borrowed wyvern and skidded to a stop on the rocks, the silver armor throwing up sparks.

“Enough,” Cutler shouted from atop the dragon.

“You won’t take me alive, Cutler,” Beck said. He drew his sword.

“As I said before, I expect you to surrender.”

“And why would I do that?”

“Because you’re dying,” Cutler replied. “We all know you’re hiding a face full of scars under that mask of yours. Which is why Clu sent me here with this creature. To save you.” His voice boomed and echoed through the cliffside. “We can heal you, Tron. All you need to do is join me.”

“Don’t count on it,” Beck said.

Cutler directed his soldiers to fly the dragon out over the water again. “Come to the docks when you change your mind. I’ll be waiting.”

Beck carefully placed the spell components over Tron’s chest and body. “But is Cutler telling the truth? Can he really save you?”

“If that machine is what I fear it is, mobile reconditioning unit.” Tron’s whole body shook as he spoke. The spells bounced off his wounds, useless.

“Wait… He’s going to save you by turning you into one of his drones?” Beck asked.

“All magic must be wiped out of a subject before reconditioning can begin,” Tron said. “When the creature sucks out the magic from me, it will also extract the curse that damaged me.”

“But what if I interrupted the procedure right there?” Beck asked. He wiped off the spell residue. “Would you be okay?”

“Possibly.”

“Then we have to try,” Beck said.

“If you don’t get me out in time, I will become Clu’s greatest weapon against you.”

“But if I do, you’ll be back to full strength. You’ll be Clu’s worst nightmare. What are we waiting for?”

“You’re beginning to sound like me,” Tron said.

“Stop. I’m done talking about it,” Mara said. She brushed the horse’s coat a bit more roughly than was necessary. “The Rogue is responsible for Able’s death. You can’t change my mind, Zed.”

“But according to you, Tron is the Rogue,” Zed said. “Why would Tron kidnap us? We’re on his side.”

Mara tugged the brush through the horse’s mane, and it neighed. “It makes no sense, okay? But even if you’re right, even if it wasn’t the Rogue who kidnapped us, Able is still gone, because Tron, or the Rogue, or whatever he wants to call himself, didn’t come to his rescue.” She was nearly shouting. “That’s what makes him responsible, Zed. And, I, I just won’t forgive and forget. Not this time. Able’s memory deserves better than that.”

Wingbeats interrupted Mara’s speech. A red dragon flew in to the stable courtyard, nearly crushing several horses and stablehands.

“Dragons,” Dash snorted. “I hate dragons.”

Two lines of soldiers walked off and formed a line in front of the dragon.

Behind them, Commander Pavel walked into place and said, “I’m all broken up inside over your loss.” He walked up to Mara and put his hand on her shoulder. “But time to move on.”

Pavel walked past Mara and spoke to the crowd of stablehands. “In light of recent unrests, this facility is now under military control. Welcome to my House of Pain. I’ll be in my office.”

Mara frowned as Pavel headed for Able’s office.

Pavel sat down in Able’s chair and set his boots down on the desk’s surface. Indignantly, the parrot, still on its perch, squawked. “No, no, no, no, no, no!”

“Shut up!” Pavel shouted. He swung his sword and mortally wounded the small red and yellow bird. “Somebody clean this mess up.”

“This is wrong. We need help,” Dash said. “Oh, how about the Rogue? Oh, wait, that good for nothing hero is nowhere to be found.”

“Guys, we can’t expect the Rogue to fight all our battles,” Zed said. “He can’t be everywhere at once. Which is probably why he couldn’t save Able.”

“You’re right,” Mara said. “But maybe we could have.”

The gigantic beast of Clu’s weapon-creature hunched down over the docks, waiting. Beck, now only in the much thinner guise of the Rogue he’d made months ago, crouched down, hidden beside a ridge of the beast’s spine. Tron walked from the docks between a long line of Occupation soldiers toward the beast. He pulled off his helmet, revealing the scar marring the left side of his face.

“Cutler!”

Cutler moved to block the exit of the hall of soldiers. “You’ve made the right choice, Tron. And by the looks of it, just in time.” He moved forward, and the soldiers fell into rank behind him. “Perfection awaits you.”

Once Tron had entered the building on the back of the giant dragon, it took off and circled Argon. Beck clung to the ridge, then made his way into the building. He pulled the black hood of his rogue outfit down over his head.

Cutler motioned to one of the soldiers, standing with a parchment in his hand, and the soldier spoke a command. Tron, standing within an all-too familiar glass cell, opened his eyes and tapped his hand, setting off a tiny spark of magic.

The spark fled and marked the first segment of a small timer Beck held strapped to one arm. _It’s starting. I have five minutes._ He clung to the rafter as two soldiers passed below him, then dropped onto one and knocked the second unconscious afterward.

Beck ran through the tight rooms of the building, checking the timer on his arm and holding a staff in the other. Another segment lit up. _Four minutes._

Tron let go of his sword, and it floated above him. Beck used the staff to knock out another guard. He slid against the wall and peeked ahead.

A squadron of soldiers stood guard in front of one door.

Tron raised his arms to grasp the sword.

Beck drew his own sword as another segment on the timer lit up. _Three._

Ribbons of blue light streamed from Tron upward, through the sword like a reverse lightning rod.

Beck swung his sword and loosened one of the supporting rods of the room full of soldiers.

Cutler watched approvingly as Tron’s life force moved through his sword.

The shaking of the room and Beck’s dark clothes let him pass nearly unseen through the soldiers. He took them down, one by one.

As the blue light left Tron, his wounds closed and his scars sealed shut. Soon his face looked slightly younger without the scarring.

Beck wrestled down the last few soldiers. All the while his timer grew more and more complete, orange light shining from all but the final two segments. _Two._

The ribbons of life force spiraled back down, orange now.

Beck took down another soldier. _One._

Orange light snaked toward Tron’s forehead. _Zero._ Beck burst into the room. “Tron!”

Cutler turned in surprise, and a soldier Beck had missed ran into the room. Beck used his momentum against him, tossing the soldier over his shoulder and into the glass of Tron’s cell.

Tron lay on the ground, surrounded by glinting shards of glass.

More soldiers entered the room. Beck was quick enough to knock down one, but soon five or more of them had him wrestled to the ground.

“And you must be the Rogue,” Cutler said. “I don’t think we’ve met.” He grabbed onto Beck’s hood.

“Wait.” Tron stood up and walked up to the group of soldiers. “He’s mine.”

The soldiers let go of Beck and Tron pressed against his chest, forcing him against a wall in the beginning of a chokehold.

“Tron,” Beck said. _I was too late._

“It’s me,” Tron whispered. “I’m okay.”

He grabbed the staff from Beck and hit the first soldier across the chest. Cutler looked on in disbelief. His soldiers drew their swords, but Tron knocked them aside and down with quick, sharp blows.

“Shouldn’t you be taking it easy?” Beck asked. He drew his sword in defense, but Tron hit the soldiers before Beck could react to their arrival.

“This is me taking it easy!”

Cutler opened a door and ran out of the room.

“Come on. This way,” Beck said. Tron and Beck followed Cutler through the tight hallways.

Cutler knew the building well, and Tron and Beck lost him. Another group of soldiers approached.

Tron shoved Beck through a door and closed it. Beck beat against the door. “Tron!”

Tron turned to the soldiers, standing strong with the staff in his hand. “Good news, I’m healed.”

The soldiers stopped, confused.

Tron smiled. “Bad news, I’m healed.” He shouted a war cry as he ran toward the soldiers. Tron swung the staff and spun it, mowing the soldiers down and leaving the hallway clear.

Beck watched anxiously.

“Where are you going?” Cutler said. He swung his sword and lodged it into the door. “We can recondition you, too.”

He slashed his sword again, forcing Beck back. Beck dodged, his sword in hand, but didn’t retaliate. _There has to be some part of Cutler left._

Cutler swung, and Beck was forced to parry the blow, but Cutler kicked Beck, and he landed near the edge of the dragon’s sweeping wing. “You’re fighting on the wrong side,” Beck said desperately. “The revolution needs you.”

Cutler held his sword pointed at Beck as the dragon’s wingbeats pumped against Beck’s head.

“You’re right. But it’s Clu’s revolution, not yours. So long, Rogue. It’s been real,” Cutler said.

Beck wriggled forward onto the dragon’s back and pulled off his hood. “Cutler, wake up!” he shouted.

At the sound and sight of Beck, Cutler clutched his head and groaned. Beck stood up. 

Cutler’s body shook as his mind fought the reconditioning. “Beck? What’s…” He grunted. “What’s happening to me?”

Tron opened the door and shut it, keeping the soldiers behind him away from Beck and himself.

“No!” Cutler shouted.

“You’re rejecting your reconditioning,” Beck said. “Remember who you are!”

Cutler backed toward the dragon’s wing, groaning. He snapped into a more military posture. “Stay back! Both of you!” Cutler held up a small explosive. Beck took a step forward, but Tron put his hand on his shoulder. “Beck, don’t.”

“Clu demands your execution. Clu--” Cutler groaned again.

“Fight it, Cutler!”

“I… can’t…” Cutler grunted out.

Beck stared at him. _What can I do? How can I fight this?_

“Beck, we’re running out of time,” Tron said.

“I’m… sorry, Beck,” Cutler grunted. He took a step back into empty air.

“No!” Beck shouted. He lunged for Cutler and caught his hands.

“Beck, we need to go. Now,” Tron said.

“No. I can save him,” Beck insisted. He pried at the explosive in Cutler’s hands.

Cutler laughed maniacally, clutching the explosive, and Beck let go.

Cutler plummeted, and as he fell behind the dragon’s wake, the bomb went off.

In the stables, the ground shook and Mara, Pavel, and the stablehands looked up. The giant dragon crashed against the ground, slicing up trenches in the earth before the stable.

“Come on!” Zed shouted. He ran toward the fallen beast, and Mara and the rest of the stablehands followed him. Pavel cowered, refusing to look at the huge beast and what it meant.

Beck stumbled out of the cavity beside the dragon’s wing, clutching his arm.

“Beck,” Tron said. He was hacking at a pair of long scales clamped around him.

“Can you get free?” Beck asked.

“I almost got it,” Tron said. “Just need more time.”

“They were near the right wing. They should be close,” a soldier just out of Beck’s view said.

“We don’t have more time,” Beck said. “Give me the armor. It’s Tron they’re after. I’ll lead them away while you get free.”

Tron pulled his armor off and Beck quickly donned it. He walked out of cover.

“Hold it right there!” a soldier said. Beck ducked away and led the soldier over the main body of the dragon, away from Tron.

“Hey everyone, check it out!” Dash shouted. Mara and Zed turned to see the Rogue, fighting two soldiers atop the dead dragon’s body.

Beck knocked the soldiers out and stood there, drained.

“You idiots, why aren’t you killing him?” Pavel said to his soldiers. They moved toward the crowd of stablehands.

Beck drew his sword.

“Clear the way. Move it.” The stablehands moved aside and the soldiers advanced. Then, Mara turned, the last person between the soldiers and the Rogue.

“If you want Tron, you’ll have to go through me.” She drew her sword and stood between the soldiers with no intention of moving.

“Will someone kill her already?” Pavel said.

The soldiers headed for her.

“And me,” Zed said. He stood beside Mara and drew his sword, too.

“Me too,” another stablehand said as she stood on Mara’s other side.

“And me.”

As the stablehands lined up in front of the Rogue, they drew their swords, forming a wall of glinting steel.

“From now on, we protect each other,” Mara said. “Tell your boss we’re done letting one man fight our battles.” “Welcome to the house of pain,” Zed said.

“You’re all fired!” Pavel shouted. He turned and fled toward the office.

Beck turned to Tron, who was standing a few feet away.

“The Uprising has begun,” Tron said.

“What is that beast doing in my city?” General Tesler said. “I want answers and I want them now. Where did that monstrosity come from, and why didn’t I know about it?”

“I don’t know, General,” Lady Paige said. “But if I had to guess-”She handed Tesler a parchment.

He grabbed it from her and looked at the flamboyant signature written on it.

“Clu.”

A huge, golden and black beast flew over the sea, surrounded by more small dragons and with boats following below it. The Imperial Armada, with Clu himself at the head, moved straight for Argon.

Atop the golden dragon, Dyson stood at attention beside the emperor.

“We’re entering Argon now, sir.”

“Good.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope all of you have enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing this. Please leave a comment if you're willing, I like to read what people think of my work! :)


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